Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before the Additional Sessions Court in Mapusa, Goa, on Monday following a Supreme Court direction in the 2013 rape case. He was subsequently sent to Colvale Central Jail to serve a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence.
The Supreme Court had directed the 63-year-old journalist to surrender before his appeal against conviction could be heard. His appeal is listed for September 22, subject to submission of the surrender certificate.
On August 6, the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court overturned Tejpal’s 2021 acquittal and convicted him of raping a former junior colleague inside a hotel elevator during Tehelka’s ThinkFest in Goa in November 2013.
The court sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment, with the sentences for various offences running concurrently.
Tejpal had sought exemption from surrendering until his Supreme Court appeal was heard, but the top court rejected the plea. He maintains that he is a victim and has vowed to continue his legal battle.
The Goa government has also approached the Supreme Court seeking enhancement of his sentence to life imprisonment, while not challenging the finding of guilt.
Tejpal was arrested in November 2013 and later granted bail by the Supreme Court. His trial began in 2017, and a Goa sessions court acquitted him in 2021 before the High Court overturned that verdict.
