MAPUSA
Goa Police on Wednesday filed yet another supplementary charge sheet at the Additional Sessions Court in Mapusa against Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal, seven years after inquiry and trial against him began for an alleged rape case.
Police had filed the first charge sheet running to around 3,000 pages against Tejpal in February 2014 which was followed by supplementary charge sheets.
“Today, we submitted a supplementary charge sheet against Tarun Tejpal under Section 173 (8) of the Criminal Procedure Code,” said Francisco Tavora, Special Public Prosecutor in the case.
The supplementary charge sheet, running over 160 pages, was submitted before the Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi.
Sources informed that the prosecution has lined up another 10 witnesses for examination, most of whom are technicians and responsible for the operation of the elevators in the starred hotel where the alleged crime took place.
According to the defence counsel Rajeev Gomes, the latest supplementary charge sheet has been filed even as the trial was coming to a close.
He said more than 65 witnesses have been examined including the complainant and as per record, the only pending prosecution witness was the investigation officer.
“In an outrageous and highly dubious move, police have filed yet another supplementary charge sheet against Tarun J Tejpal. It is clear that as the case of the prosecution crumbles in court, they are resorting to extremely irregular and mala fide tricks, sanctioned neither by law or propriety,” Gomes said.
Incidentally, the Supreme Court had initially issued a direction to the Mapusa court to complete the trial by December 2020.
Later on a plea of the prosecution seeking an extension of time, the Apex Court had posted the deadline for concluding the trial to March 31, 2021.
It may be recalled that the trial in the alleged rape case had begun in September 2017 but had to be halted after Tarun Tejpal approached the High Court and subsequently the Supreme Court, challenging the framing of charges and seeking discharge in the case.
The Supreme Court, however, declined his appeal and ordered that the trial be completed within the next six months.
The Mapusa court had framed charges against Tejpal under IPC Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (criminal assault with intent to disrobe a woman), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement).
A female colleague had accused Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal of raping her in the elevator of a starred hotel in Goa, where the magazine was hosting a conclave in November 2013.
Goa Police had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and lodged an FIR against Tejpal on November 22, 2013.
Following an FIR, Tejpal was arrested and sent to custody where he remained nearly for a year before being released on bail.
