On 6th August, the Bombay High Court in Goa reversed the acquittal of former Tehelka Magazine editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case.
A division bench of Justice Dr Neela Gokhale and Justice Amit Jamsandekar pronounced Tarun Tejpal guilty of the offences of rape and sexual harassment under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k), in addition to Sections 354A, 354B of the Indian Penal Code.
Back in 2021, Tarun Tejpal was acquitted by a Goa Sessions Court in the sexual assault case filed by his colleague. Tejpal’s acquittal, however, was challenged by the Goa government before the High Court.
Following the pronouncement of the High Court order on 6th August 2026, the 62-year-old Tarun Tejpal pleaded for leniency citing his age, and claimed that he is a victim.
“I am 62, and I believe I am a victim. I have a wife, and that’s not much else to say. All that I can say is we can go and appeal. Please be lenient with me. The rest of the facts are placed on record,” Tejpal said addressing the bench.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, strongly opposed Tejpal’s plea for leniency, said, “Despite the victim being a girl of his daughter’s age, he committed an offence… He was a father figure should not have indulged in this… A precedent must be set… Victim refused, but he kept advancing on two subsequent days… This court must give out a clear message to society that when a girl says no, it means no. A No Means A No.”
Tarun Tejpal (full name Tarunjit Tejpal), the far-left journalist, was accused of forcing himself on a colleague against her wishes inside an elevator of the Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, Goa, on November 7, 2013, during a Tehelka magazine event. He stepped down from his position at Tehelka six months after the victim filed a rape case against him.
