Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before a Goa court on Monday, September 14, and was sent to Mapusa Central Jail to begin serving a 10-year prison sentence following his conviction for rape.
The Bombay High Court convicted the 62-year-old former journalist on August 6 and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Tejpal subsequently sought relief from the Supreme Court, but on August 25, the court rejected his request for exemption from surrender and directed him to turn himself in within two weeks.
The case dates back to November 2013, when a rape case was registered in Goa following reports involving a former colleague of Tejpal. The National Commission for Women took cognisance of the allegations, and the Goa Police Crime Branch later took over the investigation.
Tejpal has challenged his conviction before the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear his appeal on September 22. The matter had been listed subject to his compliance with the order requiring him to surrender.
A Mapusa District and Sessions Court had acquitted Tejpal in 2021. The Goa government subsequently challenged that decision before the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court. Prosecutors argued that the trial court had improperly cast doubt on the complainant and failed to adequately understand behaviour associated with trauma following an alleged sexual assault.
Following renewed proceedings, the Bombay High Court overturned the earlier acquittal and convicted Tejpal in August. With his surrender on Monday, Tejpal has now begun serving his 10-year sentence while his challenge to the conviction remains before the Supreme Court.
