PANAJI
Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal has finally moved the Supreme Court challenging the order of the High Court of Bombay at Goa convicting and sentencing him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in the 2013 sexual assault case.
Tejpal’s appeal comes a day after the Goa government approached the apex court seeking enhancement of his sentence to life imprisonment, while making it clear that the prosecution was not challenging the finding of conviction.
On August 6, the Division Bench of Justice Neela Gokhale and Justice Amit Jamsandekar overturned Tejpal’s acquittal by the Sessions Court and convicted him for the offence. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10.21 lakh and granted him four weeks to surrender.
The High Court cited the 13-year-old incident, Tejpal’s age, and the absence of any reported subsequent criminal misconduct as mitigating circumstances when pronouncing the judgment.
The State, meanwhile, in its Special Leave Application, argued that the passage of time cannot justify a reduced sentence. Seeking life imprisonment, the government has also pointed to the repetition of the offence on consecutive days as well as the manner in which the survivor was treated during the trial.
Tejpal is accused of sexually assaulting his junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in Goa during Tehelka’s ThinkFest event in November 2013.
