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Informist, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Tuesday asked Tarun Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, to surrender in three weeks and file a surrender certificate before the court in a 2013 sexual assault case. After the surrender certificate is filed on or before Sept. 21, the court's registry will list on Sept. 22 Tejpal's appeal against a Bombay High Court order sentencing him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, it said.

 

Justice Alok Aradhe rejected Tejpal's application seeking exemption from surrender. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, had sought Tejpal's appeal to be heard only after he files a surrender certificate. Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, said the high court had already stayed the conviction. Asking the petitioner to surrender again would not be appropriate, he argued.

 

A woman journalist had alleged that Tejpal had sexually assaulted her in a hotel elevator on Nov. 7, 2013, and Nov. 8, 2013. In 2021, a trial court had acquitted Tejpal of all the charges, observing that the complainant "did not demonstrate any kind of normative behaviour" that a victim of sexual assault "might plausibly show". The trial court had held that there was no medical evidence and the woman's messages to the accused clearly established that she was neither "traumatised nor terrified" and that this "completely belies" the prosecution's case. Challenging the trial court's order, the Goa government had moved the high court. 

 

The high court convicted Tejpal under various sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with rape, molestation, and other offences. Some of these sections carry a punishment of 10 years while others carry a sentence of 3-5 years. Since the sentences will run concurrently, the larger sentence of 10 years will be applicable to Tejpal, the court said. In addition, Tejpal has been ordered to pay the fine under these sections to the victim. 

 

Challenging the high court's order on sentencing and conviction, Tejpal had moved the top court. The Goa government also moved the top court seeking life imprisonment for Tejpal.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Himanshi Gupta

 

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