The Mapusa District and Sessions Court in Goa on May 21 acquitted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 sexual harassment and rape case filed by his colleague.
Mr. Tejpal was accused of raping his colleague in an elevator of a five-star hotel. He was arrested on November 30, 2013, by the Goa Crime Branch and was granted bail on July 1, 2014, by the Supreme Court.
In February 2014, the Goa Crime Branch filed a 2,846-page chargesheet against Mr. Tejpal.
Tejpal describing it as “a long-fought for vindication” in a statement read out by his daughter Cara outside the court in Goa.
“In November 2013 I was falsely accused of sexual assault by a colleague. Today the Hon’ble Trial Court of Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, in Goa, has honourably acquitted me. In an awfully vitiated age, where ordinary courage has become rare, I thank her for standing by the truth,” Tejpal said.
A sessions court in Goa had adjourned the hearing on Wednesday and posted it for May 21 due to lack of staff in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, Tejpal was present in the court along with some of his family members and lawyers.
Special judge Kshyama Joshi pronounced the judgment, and the reasons for acquittal will be known in due course of time.
On September 29, 2017, the court framed charges against him under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The trial commenced in March 2018 but got interrupted due to several factors, one of them being Mr. Tejpal seeking a discharge in the case, for which he first moved the sessions court, then the High Court and later the Supreme Court.
In August 2019, the top court declined his plea and ordered that the trial be held in-camera (not open to the public) and be completed in six months.
The trial finally began on December 7, 2020, and the survivor was examined and cross-examined for an entire month till January 7, 2021, by physical appearance and through video-conferencing.
The prosecution examined 71 witnesses and the defense had four witnesses, including family members of both the accused and the survivor. The trial concluded at the end of February 2021 and, after final arguments were made by both sides, the judgment was reserved.
