Journalist Tarun Tejpal Moves Supreme Court Against Sexual Assault Conviction

Journalist and former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal has moved the Supreme Court, challenging his conviction in the 2013 sexual assault case, setting the stage for a fresh legal battle in the country's highest court.

Tejpal's appeal challenges the August 6 order of the Bombay High Court, which overturned his earlier acquittal by a trial court and convicted him of rape. The High Court sentenced the 62-year-old journalist to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The appeal was filed through advocate Aditya Samaddar.

However, Tejpal's challenge comes as the Goa government has also approached the Supreme Court, seeking a tougher punishment. The state has argued that the 10-year sentence imposed by the High Court is grossly disproportionate to the nature and gravity of the offences, and has sought life imprisonment.

The case relates to an alleged incident in 2013, when Tejpal was accused of raping a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator during an event organised by Tehelka magazine in Goa.

The legal journey of the case has already seen a dramatic reversal. Tejpal was acquitted by the trial court, but the Bombay High Court later overturned that verdict, finding him guilty and sentencing him to 10 years in prison.

With both sides now before the Supreme Court, the case has entered another crucial phase. While Tejpal is seeking to challenge and overturn his conviction, the Goa government is pressing for the punishment to be made significantly harsher.

Tejpal has previously maintained that he was a political victim.

The Supreme Court will now have to examine the competing appeals, one challenging the conviction and sentence, and the other seeking an enhancement of punishment to life imprisonment, in the long-running case that began more than a decade ago.