Tarun Tejpal Gets 10-Year Jail Sentence After Conviction in Sexual Assault Case

Tarun Tejpal Awarded 10-Year Jail Term After Bombay HC Reverses Acquittal in Sexual Assault Case

Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal was on Thursday sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Bombay High Court after being convicted in the 2013 sexual assault case involving a junior colleague, bringing a legal battle that has spanned more than a decade to a crucial turning point.

The High Court also granted Tejpal two weeks to surrender, allowing him time to approach the Supreme Court. Soon after the sentencing, Tejpal asserted that he was innocent and announced his decision to challenge the verdict. “I am a victim of politics. This is a wrong case against me. We will fight back and I have faith in the judiciary,” he said outside the courtroom, adding that he believed the evidence supported his acquittal.

High Court Reverses Goa Court’s Verdict

The sentence follows the Bombay High Court’s decision to overturn the 2021 judgment of a Goa sessions court, which had acquitted Tejpal by giving him the benefit of doubt.

The High Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting a junior colleague inside an elevator at a luxury hotel during the Tehelka ThinkFest in Goa in November 2013.

During the hearing on the quantum of punishment, Tejpal sought leniency, citing his age and family responsibilities. “I have a wife. I am 62 years old,” he told the court while requesting a lighter sentence.

‘When a Woman Says No, It Means No’

Arguing the Goa government’s appeal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the court to send a strong message on the issue of consent.

“When a girl says no, it means no,” Mehta submitted, arguing that Tejpal ignored the complainant’s refusal despite occupying a position of trust and authority. He said the verdict should reinforce that consent cannot be disregarded, irrespective of the relationship between the accused and the survivor.

Case That Began in 2013

The case dates back to November 2013, when a junior colleague accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator during the Tehelka ThinkFest in Goa. In May 2021, a Goa sessions court acquitted him, citing inconsistencies in the complainant’s testimony and extending him the benefit of doubt.

The Goa government challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, which has now set aside that verdict, convicted Tejpal and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. The former editor has said he will move the Supreme Court against the High Court’s ruling.