Contempt Case Against Journalist Tarun Tejpal & Prashant Bhushan Dropped

Picture Courtesy: ANI/Twitter

New Delhi: There was relief for journalist Tarun Tejpal on Tuesday after the Supreme Court dropped a contempt case against him and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

The top court had issued a contempt notice Tejpal and Bhushan for casting aspersions on the judiciary in an interview to news magazine ‘Tehelka’.

Bhushan had said in the interview that several previous Chief Justices of India and other judges are corrupt. Tejpal was editor of the magazine.

A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee, Surya Kant and MM Sundresh closed the contempt case proceedings after senior advocate Kapil Sibal informed that an apology has been tendered.

“In view of the apology tendered by the contemnors, we do not deem it necessary to proceed with the contempt. The contempt proceedings are dropped,” the bench said.

Tejpal was last year acquitted in a 2013 sexual harassment and rape case filed by his colleague. His colleague accused Tejpal of raping her in an elevator of a five-star hotel.

Tejpal, arrested on November 30, 2013, by Goa Crime Branch, was granted bail by Supreme Court on July 1, 2014. He was acquitted last year. Three months ago, the Goa government filed a petition before the high court challenging the order of acquittal stating that it required “deeper scrutiny and reappreciation”.