GOA: More than 13 years after former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal was accused of raping a junior colleague in a hotel lift in Goa, the Bombay high court on Thursday convicted him of rape and outraging a woman’s modesty, overturning his 2021 acquittal by a Goa trial court.The case, one of the most closely watched sexual assault trials in India even before the #MeToo movement gained global traction, began in November 2013 when a Tehelka journalist accused Tejpal of assaulting her in an elevator at a five-star hotel during the magazine’s annual THiNK Fest in Goa. The alleged assault took place on the sidelines of an event where Hollywood actor Robert De Niro was a guest.
Timeline: The Tarun Tejpal case
Tejpal resigned as editor within weeks, and Goa Police registered a suo motu FIR after media reports detailed an email exchange in which Tejpal appeared to apologise to the survivor before later changing his position. He was arrested in November 2013 and spent time in custody before the Supreme Court granted him bail in mid-2014.The trial dragged on for nearly eight years, moving between the trial court, Bombay high court and Supreme Court over procedural challenges, in-camera hearing requests and disputes over cross-examination. In May 2021, a Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal, citing what it called contradictions in the survivor’s testimony, delays in the FIR, and lapses in the police investigation — including missing CCTV footage from one hotel floor.The Goa government appealed the acquittal in the Bombay high court. During final arguments, solicitor general Tushar Mehta represented the state, arguing the trial court had allowed the survivor to be subjected to what he called character-based questioning, and citing a late-night text message and Tejpal’s own apology emails as key pieces of evidence. Tejpal’s defence, led by senior advocate Aabad Ponda, contested the reliability of the survivor’s account and pointed to the missing CCTV footage as suggesting reasonable doubt.On Thursday, the Bombay high court set aside the 2021 acquittal and convicted Tejpal, though the report does not yet specify the sentence.Timeline: The Tarun Tejpal case
- Nov 7–8, 2013: Alleged incident takes place at a starred hotel in Goa.
- Nov 22, 2013: Goa Police lodge a suo motu FIR against Tejpal.
- Nov 30, 2013: Sessions court rejects Tejpal’s anticipatory bail plea; he is arrested.
- Jan 28, 2014: PI Sunita Sawant files a complaint against Tejpal for intimidation; Panaji police station registers an FIR.
- Jan 31, 2014: Crime branch registers a fresh FIR against an unidentified person for intimidation and disclosing the survivor’s identity.
- Feb 17, 2014: Crime branch files chargesheet against Tejpal before the JMFC.
- Feb 27, 2014: Goa police book Tejpal for illegal possession of a cellphone in jail at Vasco.
- May 19, 2014: Supreme Court grants Tejpal interim bail to attend his mother’s cremation in Goa.
- Jul 1, 2014: Supreme Court grants Tejpal bail.
- Aug 27, 2014: Crime branch files a supplementary chargesheet.
- Sep 28, 2017: Trial court frames charges against Tejpal.
- Mar 15, 2018: Special judge begins recording the survivor’s statement.
- Nov 27, 2018: Tejpal approaches the Supreme Court seeking quashing of charges.
- Aug 19, 2019: Supreme Court rejects Tejpal’s petition, directs that the trial be concluded.
- Jan 7, 2021: Crime branch files another supplementary chargesheet.
- Mar 22, 2021: Additional district court posts the case for judgment.
- May 21, 2021: Local court acquits Tejpal; Goa government subsequently challenges the acquittal in the Bombay high court.
- April 23, 2022: The Bombay high court admitted the state’s appeal against his acquittal by a trial court.
- Aug 6, 2026: Bombay high court overturns the acquittal, convicts Tejpal of rape and outraging a woman’s modesty.
