Goa Advocate General weighs next legal steps following Tarun Tejpal's 10-year prison sentence, surrender time extended to 4-weeks

The judiciary has granted Tejpal a grace period of four weeks to surrender, an extension from the initially communicated two-week timeframe. Advocate General Pangam confirmed that both the state counsel and the defence lawyer were called into chambers to be formally notified of this timeline.

Following the sentencing of Tehelka magazine founder Tarun Tejpal to 10 years of imprisonment in the 2013 sexual assault case, the Goa state machinery is closely evaluating the court's directives. Goa Advocate General Devidas Pangam on Thursday addressed the media regarding the state's position on the verdict, outlining the legal team's next steps regarding the length of the sentence, the penalties imposed, and the timeline granted for surrender.

"Regarding the sentence of 10 years, we will study the matter. We will decide whether to challenge that part of the order. We have not taken any decision so far," said Pangam. The prosecution is currently reviewing the 10-year prison term to determine whether the state will formally challenge the leniency of the sentence in a higher court.

The state had initially pushed for the maximum possible fine to be levied against the accused. Officials are awaiting a certified copy of the order to evaluate the court's specific rulings on financial penalties. "We wanted the maximum fine to be imposed, and once we receive a copy of the order, we will take a call on it," added Pangam.

The judiciary has granted Tejpal a grace period of four weeks to surrender, an extension from the initially communicated two-week timeframe. Advocate General Pangam confirmed that both the state counsel and the defence lawyer were called into chambers to be formally notified of this timeline. "Actually, four weeks' time has now been granted, although initially it was announced as two weeks. I was called, and the lawyer representing the accused was also called into the chamber. The judges informed us that he would be given four weeks' time to surrender," added Pangam.

Earlier, Senior Goa Police official Sunita Sawant, who was the Investigating Officer in the case, had told reporters that Tejpal was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakhs, with two weeks given to surrender. "He has been sentenced to 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment and fine of Rs 5 lakhs. He has been given two weeks time to surrender," Sawant told reporters.

Advocate Cyndiana Silva, who represented Goa Police/State of Goa in the case, said Tejpal "has been convicted for all the offences he was charged for." The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday sentenced former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to 10 years' jail in a sexual assault case filed by his junior colleague in 2013.

Earlier, the court convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case filed by his junior colleague. The Bombay High Court's Goa bench delivered the verdict on the Goa government's appeal challenging Tejpal's acquittal by the Goa Sessions Court in 2021. The case pertains to allegations made by a female journalist who accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator on November 7 and 8, 2013. Tejpal was arrested on November 30, 2013, on those charges.

On September 29, 2017, the court charged him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. However, he pleaded not guilty. Following the framing of charges, Tejpal moved the Supreme Court seeking to quash the charges levelled against him. The top court refused to quash the charges and directed that the trial be concluded within six months. In May 2021, the Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal of all charges, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court noted the absence of medical evidence and relied on messages exchanged between the complainant and Tejpal, concluding that they did not support the claim that she had been traumatised by the alleged assault.

The Goa government subsequently challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, seeking to set aside the trial court's judgment. Speaking to reporters ahead of the quantum being announced by the High Court, Tejpal said he would seek relief from the Supreme Court and alleged that he was a victim of political vendetta.

"We will go to the Supreme Court, hundred per cent we will go. I have no doubt. For 13 years, because of a political vendetta due to Tehelka's work, they have been after me. We fought the case in the trial court for seven and a half years and were acquitted. Now they are after me again. They acquit those who are with them, but they go after those who have ever done journalism against them or said anything against them. You are journalists; go and see how many people they have framed in false cases in the last 12 years. They have framed me too, but I still got acquitted. Despite that, now it depends on journalists to go and ask questions," he said. (ANI)