Tejpal challenges rape sentence, Goa seeks life term; SC asks both sides to reply
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on two petitions arising from Tarun Tejpal’s rape conviction and 10-year jail sentence, with the former Tehelka editor-in-chief challenging the Bombay High Court verdict and seeking suspension of his sentence, while the Goa government has sought enhancement of the sentence to life imprisonment.
The bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale issued notice to the Goa government on an appeal filed by Tarun Tejpal challenging his conviction and seeking suspension of his jail sentence.
At the same time, the bench also issued notice to Tejpal on a plea filed by the Goa Police seeking enhancement of the sentence imposed on him.
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on August 6 overturned the trial court verdict that had acquitted Tejpal in 2021. It convicted him of aggravated rape and related offences and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment.
The case arose from allegations that Tejpal sexually assaulted a junior woman colleague inside a hotel elevator in Goa during an event in November 2013.
Tejpal surrendered before a court in Mapusa on September 14 and was subsequently taken to the Central Jail at Colvale in Goa, after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal until he surrendered before the jurisdictional court.
In his plea, Tejpal has argued that the High Court did not properly consider the evidence and overturned the acquittal order passed by the trial court.
The state of Goa, meanwhile, has approached the Supreme Court seeking a life sentence for Tejpal, on the grounds that the case involved aggravated assault and that the High Court imposed the minimum sentence prescribed under the law for such an offence.
During the brief hearing before the bench on Friday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Tejpal, sought a speedy hearing of the matter, arguing that Tejpal had already surrendered and that the issue of suspending the sentence while the appeal was pending needed to be heard.
The bench, however, observed that it was merely issuing notice on both petitions for now and would give a hearing date in the written order.
At the time of publication of this story, the order had not yet been uploaded. However, the Supreme Court website indicated a tentative hearing date of October 15.- Ends
Aneesha Mathur is a Special Correspondent for India Today where she puts her LLB degree to use covering Legal issues and cases in the Supreme Court of India, Delhi High court and other courts/tribunals.
Aneesha joined India Today in October 2018. After graduating from St Stephen's College and Faculty of law,Delhi University, she spent the formative years of her career in print Media.
Her interest in journalism stems from experience while interning with Legal services and Juvenile justice board as a law student, where she learnt the importance of ensuring that accurate information reaches the world, and that stories about individual experiences and statistics that show a "bigger picture" must supplement each other so other people can see what the large impact of a small thing can be. When not working or thinking about the law and it's state, Aneesha hides from reality in fantasy novels, rom-coms and food.
