3 weeks ago
Tarun Tejpal's Daughter Calls Rape Conviction 'Miscarriage of Justice'
Tarun Tejpal was the boss of a news magazine called Tehelka.
In 2013, a woman who worked with him said he hurt her badly.
A court now says he is guilty and must go to jail for 10 years.
Tarun's daughter, Cara, is very sad and angry about the decision.
She thinks the court made a big mistake.
A lower court had earlier said her father was not guilty, but a higher court changed that.
Cara says there is no proof her father hurt anyone and that camera videos tell a different story.
Her father says the case against him is unfair and part of politics.
He will ask the Supreme Court, the country's highest court, to look at his case again.
Until then, his family is getting ready for him to go to jail in Goa.
Tarun Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail in a 2013 rape case by the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court.
His daughter Cara Tejpal called the conviction a 'miscarriage of justice', saying the family's 'nightmare of 13 years continues'.
The Goa Sessions Court had acquitted Tejpal in May 2021 with a 527-page judgment after the prosecution examined 70 witnesses.
The Bombay High Court termed the trial court's 2021 acquittal 'perverse' before convicting him of raping a junior colleague in a hotel elevator.
Tejpal, who claims the case is 'political vendetta' against him, plans to challenge the judgment in the Supreme Court.
Cara Tejpal said she may soon be dropping her father at Colvale prison in Goa to serve his sentence, as he had also spent six months in Vasco jail between 2013 and 2014.
Cara described the two emails her father sent in November 2013 as 'flimsy proof' of confession, saying one was written by Tehelka's Managing Editor.
Tejpal told reporters before sentencing that there is so much evidence he 'should have been acquitted 10 times over'.
- Who
- Tarun Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka, and his daughter Cara Tejpal
- What
- Tejpal was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail for raping a junior colleague; his daughter publicly called the conviction a miscarriage of justice
- Where
- The conviction was handed by the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court; the alleged assault took place in a hotel elevator in Goa
- When
- The conviction and sentencing happened last week, about four days before Cara Tejpal's statement; the alleged incident occurred in 2013 and the trial court acquittal came in May 2021
- Why
- The High Court found the trial court's 2021 acquittal 'perverse' and convicted Tejpal, while the family maintains there is no physical evidence and calls the case a political vendetta
Courts and Prosecution
Tejpal Family and Defense
Guilt in the 2013 assault
Courts and Prosecution
The Bombay High Court found Tejpal guilty and termed the trial court's 2021 acquittal 'perverse'.
Tejpal Family and Defense
Cara Tejpal says there is no physical evidence of violence or assault and that CCTV footage directly contradicts the complainant's narrative, calling the conviction a 'miscarriage of justice'.
The two apology emails
Courts and Prosecution
In the discourse around the case, two emails sent by Tejpal to the complainant and the Tehelka office are widely cited as proof of his confession.
Tejpal Family and Defense
Cara calls the emails 'flimsy proof', saying the first contains no confession wording, the second was written by Tehelka's Managing Editor, and both were leaked to the press.
Fairness of the proceedings
Courts and Prosecution
The High Court heard the matter and delivered a verdict overriding an acquittal it considered legally perverse.
Tejpal Family and Defense
The family contrasts the High Court's 7 days of hearing and a verdict within 4 days of arguments with the Sessions Court's nearly year-long trial with 70 witnesses and a 527-page judgment.
Key facts
- Convicted person
- Tarun Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka
- Sentence
- 10 years of rigorous imprisonment
- Crime
- Rape of a junior colleague in a hotel elevator during a 2013 Tehelka event in Goa
- Conviction court
- Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court
- Trial court verdict
- Acquittal in May 2021, with a 527-page judgment
- Prosecution witnesses at trial
- 70 witnesses
- Family's response
- Daughter Cara called the ruling a 'miscarriage of justice'
- Planned appeal
- Supreme Court challenge
Quotes
Tarun Tejpal
Former Tehelka editor‑in‑chief and convicted rapist
“"With a complete acquittal in hand and a mountain of evidence at hand, we could not fathom such a miscarriage of justice."”
NDTV
“"I should have been acquitted 10 times over."”
NDTV
Sources
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