Goa court acquits Tarun Tejpal, founder editor of Tehelka magazine

Ground Report | New Delhi: The founding editor of Tehelka magazine Tarun Tejpal has been acquitted by the Sessions Court of Goa in the sexual harassment case. In 2013, a colleague accused him of sexual assault.

Tarun Tejpal was accused of forcing his co-worker on November 7, 2013, inside the lift of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bambolim, Goa. Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi had reserved her decision after the hearing last month. Tarun Tejpal was arrested on 18 November 2013 on the complaint of his colleague.

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In August 2019, Tarun Tejpal had filed a petition in the Supreme Court to end the sexual harassment allegations leveled against him, but the Supreme Court refused to grant any relief in this case.

Tarun Tejpal's lawyer Rajiv Gomes died last week from a covid infection. Tarun Tejpal has issued a statement thanking his lawyer.

Tarun Tejpal has said, "As a family, we have a huge debt of Rajiv Gomes. No client can expect a better lawyer from Rajiv. In these eight years, many excellent lawyers came forward to help us and I owe them all. 

Among these, I am especially grateful to Pramod Dubey, Aamir Khan, Ankur Chawla, Amit Desai, Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, Aman Lekhi, Sandeep Kapoor, Rajan Karanjewala and Shrikant Shivade."

The Goa police registered an FIR against Tejpal in November 2013 following which he was arrested. The Goa crime branch had filed a charge sheet against Tejpal, who has been out on bail since May 2014.

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"In November 2013 I was falsely accused of sexual assault by a colleague. Today the Hon’ble Trial Court of Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, in Goa, has honourably acquitted me. In an awfully vitiated age, where ordinary courage has become rare, I thank her for standing by the truth," said Tejpal in a press release on Friday.

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