Panaji: A Goa court on Friday acquitted the founder-editor of Tehelka magazine, Tarun Tejpal, in a rape case dating back eight years.
Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting a colleague on the sidelines of a conference at a five-star resort in Goa in 2013.
“It is with profound respect that I thank this court for its rigorous, impartial and fair trial and for its thorough examination of CCTV footage and other empirical material on record,” NDTV reported quoting a statement by Tejpal after his acquittal.
“The past seven-and-a-half years have been traumatic for my family as we have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these false allegations on every aspect of our personal, professional and public lives,” Tejpal’s daughter Cara Tejpal read out the statement.
Case History
The Tehelka allegations broke out when a series of emails in which the woman complained to her seniors at Tehelka and their response were leaked.
Tejpal stepped down as the editor of Tehelka soon after, saying he was “recusing” himself for six months. He was arrested in November 2013. He has been out on bail since May 2014.
In 2017, the trial court had charged Tejpal with rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. He had challenged the charges in the Supreme Court, which ordered the trial to continue in Goa.
The verdict was previously delayed over various reasons including the coronavirus crisis.
For instance, the sessions court in Goa was to declare its verdict on Wednesday but could not, citing “power failure” due to Cyclone Tauktae.
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