MAPUSA
The Additional Sessions Court at Mapusa allowed the supplementary chargesheet in the alleged rape case against Tehelka founder-editor, Tarun Tejpal, but questioned the conduct and the intention of the Investigation Officer (IO) to delay the case.
The court observed that the IO carried out further investigation in the case without taking permission of the court and when the trial was on.
It also questioned the intent of the IO in filing the supplementary report which will only delay the matter despite knowing the Supreme Court direction to complete the investigation within a time frame.
“The conduct of the IO in carrying out the further investigation without seeking leave and after a delay, though a supplementary chargesheet was filed earlier, shows that the intention of the IO to delay the matter despite the knowledge there is time-bound Apex Court direction in the matter,” observed Kshama Joshi, Additional Sessions Judge.
The judge observed that the further investigation was carried out not as per the prevailing law by seeking permission and till the commencement of the trial.
Since the defence counsel has not strongly opposed the supplementary report, the court allowed the supplementary chargesheet but directed the prosecution to examine all the witnesses listed in the supplementary report without any adjournment.
It may be recalled that the IO, DySP Sunita Sawant, had recently filed another supplementary charge sheet in the Additional Sessions Court, Mapusa against Tejpal, seven years after an inquiry against him began for the alleged rape case.
The supplementary charge sheet running over 160 pages was filed under section 173 (8) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
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.
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, the Apex Court had fixed the deadline for concluding the trial to March 31.
