Tehelka’s Tarun Tejpal Acquitted in Rape Case After 7 Years
Tejpal was accused of forcing himself on a junior colleague inside an elevator during an event of Tehelka magazine
Tarun Tejpal, the founder of Tehelka, an Indian news magazine known for its sting operations, was acquitted of all charges in the sexual assault and rape case of a colleague by a court in Goa.
In 2013, Tejpal was accused of forcing himself on a junior colleague inside an elevator during an event of the magazine.
He was arrested and spent months in jail until he was bailed by the Supreme Court.
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Tarun Tejpal was in continuous denial of the rape accusations and multiple times requested privacy for his family.
The journalist blamed the allegations as part of political vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The complaint by the girl is clearly motivated, false and an afterthought with oblique motives”, he maintained.
A nearly 3,000-page charge sheet was filed against Tejpal and an email sent by him to the female colleague and then managing editor Shoma Chaudhury was reproduced as ‘evidence’.
As the case burst out in public, many accused Tejpal of being a hypocrite who was previously vocal for gender inequality and double standards in the society.
After seven and half years, the trial court threw out all charges against the media man after cross-examining 70 witnesses.
Tarun Tejpal is a journalist who has experienced working with several leading media organizations in India and was the former editor-in-chief of Tehelka.
He is also the author of three books and has a publishing house, India Ink.
Mr Tejpal, after the verdict, expressed gratitude to the judge and his lawyer, who died due to covid-19.
Apart from this, Hollywood actor Johnny Depp, and Pakistani singer Ali Zafar are also charged with assault and harassment respectively.
