The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday dismissed a plea by former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal seeking exemption from surrendering to custody following his conviction in a 2013 sexual assault case. A single-judge bench presided over by Justice Alok Aradhe instructed Tejpal to report to authorities within two weeks and submit a surrender certificate on or before September 22 to have his main appeal heard on its merits. The decision follows an August 6 ruling by the Bombay High Court that overturned Tejpal’s prior acquittal and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Appearing for Tejpal, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal petitioned the court to hear the appeal without requiring his client to return to prison first. Sibal pointed out that Tejpal had remained on bail for nearly 13 years, serving only six months following his initial arrest, and relied on provisions under the Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction) Act, 1970 to support the exemption request. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Goa government, strongly opposed the application, contending that the nature and gravity of the offense must be factored into any custodial relief. Justice Aradhe ultimately rejected Tejpal’s request, observing that the court had to weigh the severity of the offense and the length of the sentence before granting any exemption.
The legal proceedings stem from November 2013, when Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague inside a hotel elevator in Goa during an event organized by the publication. An Additional Sessions Court in Mapusa acquitted Tejpal of all charges in May 2021, relying in part on messaging records between the survivor and Tejpal to conclude that her behavior did not reflect trauma.
However, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court subsequently overturned that decision on August 6, labeling the trial court’s assessment “perverse” and criticizing its reliance on stereotypical expectations of victim behavior. Tejpal is now challenging the High Court’s conviction before the Supreme Court, while the Goa state government has filed a cross-petition seeking to enhance his 10-year prison sentence to life imprisonment.
