Now Reading: Tejpal’s daughter links rape conviction to his journalism
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Tejpal’s daughter links rape conviction to his journalism
Tarun Tejpal's daughter Cara Tejpal has said the Bombay High Court conviction of the former Tehelka editor for raping a junior colleague in 2013 is a bid to 'silence' him for his…
The Story in Brief
Tarun Tejpal's daughter Cara Tejpal has said the Bombay High Court conviction of the former Tehelka editor for raping a junior colleague in 2013 is a bid to 'silence' him for his investigative journalism. In a statement on Saturday (August 8, 2026), she accused the BJP government of targeting her father because of Tehelka's corruption reports, calling the rape allegation a convenient tool to destroy him.
The High Court on August 6 convicted Tejpal, overturning a 2021 trial court acquittal. The judge termed the earlier verdict perverse for expecting a 'perfect victim'. Cara Tejpal urged people to read the case facts, not headlines. Tejpal, 62, has said he is a political victim and will appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Indian Opinion
The defence that investigative journalism invites false rape cases is an old and dangerous one. It asks us to suspend disbelief: the victim's account must be a conspiracy by the state or Corporate India. Cara Tejpal's statement adds no new evidence, only a political frame. The Bombay High Court, however, found the trial court's acquittal 'perverse' for applying a 'perfect victim' standard. That judicial reasoning must now be tested in the Supreme Court. Will the Tejpal legal team produce concrete proof of a frame-up, or will the political narrative remain just that?
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
