News Analysis India

Tag: Tarun Tejpal Case

  • Tarun Tejpal case: Victim named and shamed, trial court order ‘fit for 5th century’, Goa govt tells HC

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The Goa government told the Bombay High Court’s bench here on Wednesday that the victim in a 2013 rape case, in which journalist Tarun Tejpal was acquitted, was named and shamed and the trial court’s judgement was “retrograde” and “fit for fifth century”.

    The Goa bench of the HC, comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and M S Jawalkar, later adjourned the hearing into the matter till November 16, when it will hear Tejpal’s application challenging the maintainability of the state government’s appeal against his acquittal in the case.

    Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Goa government, stated before the bench that the prosecutrix (woman) was “named and shamed”.

    He also termed the judgment of the trial court as “retrograde” and “fit for fifth century”.

    Justice Dere said “in not just this case, but in all the cases of rape, we will not allow lawyers to read the evidence, we will read it ourselves”.

    She said a lawyer can point out the page number while submitting about the evidence.

    On May 21 this year, a sessions court acquitted Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of the Tehelka magazine, in the case where he was accused of sexually assaulting his then colleague in a lift of a five-star hotel in Goa in November 2013 when they were attending an event.

    Later, the Goa government filed an appeal against it in the HC.

    The matter came up before the HC’s division bench on Wednesday when Tejpal’s lawyer Amit Desai submitted to the court to consider two applications filed by him.

    Tejpal has challenged the maintainability of the Goa government’s appeal against his acquittal in the case.

    Desai said the permission to file application (challenging the session court’s order) was not granted by the state government to the public prosecutor on the day when it was filed.

    He also said that they have filed an application for ‘in-camera’ hearing into the matter, which Mehta opposed.

    The bench will hear later Tejpal’s application seeking in-camera hearing into the matter.

    The hearing on Wednesday was held in virtual mode.

  • Tarun Tejpal case: Bombay HC adjourns hearing till September 20 

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on the Goa government’s appeal against journalist Tarun Tejpal’s acquittal in a 2013 rape case, pending request before the Chief Justice for a hybrid (physical plus virtual) hearing into the matter.

    The court fixed September 20 for next hearing.

    Till now, the matter was being heard online.

    On Tuesday, for the first time the matter was taken up physically, in the wake of the Goa government relaxing several COVID-19 curbs due to a drop in the number of the viral infection cases in the coastal state.

    Earlier this month, Tejpal in a submission before the HC sought an ‘in-camera’ hearing of the Goa government’s petition challenging his acquittal in the case, and sought its dismissal while raising preliminary objections on its maintainability.

    However, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, had at that time opposed Tejpal’s request for the ‘in-camera’ hearing, saying the “country has the right to know how the institution dealt with the girl (victim)”.

    On Tuesday, state Advocate General Devidas Pangam and a lawyer representing Tejpal sought time from a bench of Justices M S Sonak and M S Jawalkar, as they are yet to file their applications before the Chief Justice for the hybrid hearing into the matter.

    Pangam requested the bench to adjourn the matter by another two weeks to file the application before the Chief Justice.

    The bench then fixed the matter for hearing on September 20.

    Solicitor General Mehta was not present in the court on Tuesday.

    On May 21 this year, a sessions court acquitted Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of the Tehelka magazine, in the case where he was accused of sexually assaulting his then colleague in a lift of a five-star hotel in Goa in November 2013 when they were attending an event.

    Later, the Goa government filed an appeal against it in the HC.

  • Goa court to pronounce verdict in Tarun Tejpal’s sexual assault case on May 21

    By PTI
    PANAJI: A sessions court in Goa on Wednesday said it will pronounce the verdict in the Tarun Tejpal case on May 21.

    The former Tehelka editor-in-chief is accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in Goa in 2013.

    The additional district court was to pronounce the verdict on April 27 but judge Kshama Joshi had adjourned the verdict to May 12.

    On May 12, it was further adjourned to May 19.

    The court had earlier said the adjournment was due to lack of staff due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The Goa police registered an FIR against Tejpal in November 2013 following which he was arrested.

    Tejpal has been out on bail since May 2014.

    The Goa crime branch had filed a charge sheet against Tejpal.

    He faced trial under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 376(2)(f) (person in position of authority over women, committing rape) and 376(2)k) (rape by person in position of control).

    He had earlier moved the Bombay High Court, seeking a stay on the framing of charges against him, but his petition was dismissed.