Bombay high court overturns Tarun Tejpal's acquittal in 2013 sexual assault case

Bombay high court on Thursday overturned former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal's acquittal in the 2013 sexual assault case.Former journalist and editor of Tehelka, Tarun Tejpal, was convicted of rape and outraging the modesty of women in a 2013 sexual assault case by the Bombay high court in Goa. (AFP)The Goa bench of the Bombay high court found the former journalist guilty of raping a colleague at a Goa hotel in 2013. This conviction comes after Tejpal was acquitted by a Goa Sessions court in 2021.Tejpal was arrested in 2013 after a female journalist accused him of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator. In 2017, the ex-Tehelka editor was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement.Tejpal, however, pleaded not guilty.The journalist then moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the charges levelled against him, stating that he had been framed.However, the top court refused to quash the charges and directed the trial to be concluded within six months.In May 2021, the Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal of all charges, citing that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.The trial court also noted the absence of medical evidence and relied on messages exchanged between the complainant and Tejpal, which did not support the prosecution's claim that the woman had been traumatised by the alleged assault.