The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Goa government on a plea filed by former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal challenging a Bombay High Court order that convicted him of rape and sentenced him to ten years' rigorous imprisonment.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale heard the matter.
Appearing for Tejpal, senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that the case involved a reversal of an acquittal, noting that this gave rise to a right of appeal.
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"This is a case of reversal; there is a right of appeal, I have surrendered," Sibal told the bench, according to LiveLaw. After the court agreed to issue notice, Sibal sought a specific date for a hearing on suspending the sentence; the bench said it would consider the request.
Last month, Justice Alok Aradhe had directed Tejpal to surrender within three weeks and file a surrender certificate by September 22 before the Supreme Court would hear his appeal on merits.
The Goa government has also moved the top court separately, seeking enhancement of the sentence to life imprisonment, without disputing the finding of guilt.
The case dates to November 2013, when Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague inside an elevator at a Goa hotel during an event organised by Tehelka magazine.
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A trial court acquitted him in 2021, a verdict the state challenged before the Bombay High Court.
On August 6, a Goa bench of the High Court, comprising Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar, overturned the acquittal and convicted Tejpal under provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to rape and sexual harassment — offences now defined under Sections 63 and 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaced the IPC in 2024, though the IPC applied when the case was originally filed.
The High Court had criticised the trial court for discrediting the survivor's account based on her conduct after the incident, holding there is no concept of a "perfect rape victim" and that trauma manifests differently across individuals.
Citing the 13-year gap since the incident and Tejpal's clean record since, the High Court declined the state's plea for life imprisonment and imposed the minimum prescribed sentence instead.
ALSO READ: Tarun Tejpal Surrenders, Set To Begin 10-Year Rigorous Imprisonment
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