Tarun Tejpal suffers a major setback: the verdict has been overturned.

Mumbai: The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court has convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 case of raping a colleague at a hotel in Goa. On Thursday, the High Court set aside his acquittal in the sexual assault case.

In 2013, a woman journalist had alleged that Tejpal sexually assaulted her inside a hotel elevator. Following the complaint, he was arrested. In 2017, charges were framed against the former Tehelka editor under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape and sexual assault. However, Tejpal had maintained that he was innocent.

Tejpal had approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash the charges against him, claiming he had been falsely implicated. However, the apex court refused to quash the charges and directed that the trial be completed within six months. In May 2021, a Goa sessions court acquitted him of all charges.

Acquitted by Goa Sessions Court in 2021

However, on Thursday, a division bench of the Bombay High Court’s Goa bench, comprising Justice Dr. Neela Gokhale and Justice Amit Jamdar, allowed the Goa government’s appeal and found Tejpal guilty. The bench convicted him under IPC Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k) for rape and sexual assault, as well as Sections 354A and 354B.

The court will pronounce the sentence at 2:30 PM. During the hearing, Tejpal was present in court and requested leniency in sentencing.

Appearing for the Goa government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the lower court’s judgment was “a classic example of a bad judgment,” stating that it had raised questions on the victim rather than delivering justice.