New Delhi: Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal has moved the Supreme Court against his conviction and 10-year jail term in the 2013 sexual assault case.
The Bombay High Court, on August 6, set aside the Goa sessions court’s 2021 order acquitting him and sentenced him to a decade of rigorous imprisonment.
The case traces back to allegations that Tejpal sexually assaulted a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in Goa during a Tehelka event in November 2013.
State Seeks Life Sentence
The Goa government has also approached the Supreme Court, seeking enhancement of Tejpal’s 10-year sentence to life imprisonment.
In its petition, the Goa government told the Supreme Court that the sentence handed down by the Bombay High Court was “grossly disproportionate” to the gravity of the aggravated rape offences committed against Tejpal’s junior colleague, as reported by Hindustan Times.
It has also taken issue with the high court’s order to run the sentences for the two aggravated rape convictions concurrently. The state argued that the alleged assaults took place on successive days and amounted to “separate criminality” that must be reflected in the punishment.
However, the Goa government said its appeal only concerns the length of the sentence and the order that the sentences run at the same time.
In its plea, the state highlighted several aggravating circumstances noted by the high court, saying these warranted a punishment beyond the statutory minimum of 10 years. Among these were Tejpal’s role as the woman’s employer and mentor, as well as his friendship with her father and his ties with her family.
The high court had held that Tejpal occupied a position of “dominance, control, trust and authority” over the woman. On that basis, the state contended that the sentence was inadequate and asked for life imprisonment or any other enhanced punishment the top court may consider fit.
Bombay HC Order
On August 6, the Bombay High Court set aside Tejpal’s 2021 acquittal by a trial court and convicted him in the 2013 sexual assault case. It imposed 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹5 lakh for each of the two aggravated rape offences, along with separate sentences for sexual harassment, assault with intent to disrobe and wrongful confinement.
As all the sentences were directed to run concurrently, his effective jail term works out to 10 years.