Goa moves Supreme Court to enhance sentence of Tarun Tejpal in 2013 rape case

In a bid to enhance the sentence of former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 rape case, the State of Goa has moved the Supreme Court. According to the petition filed on Tuesday, the current 10-year prison sentence handed down by the High Court is "grossly disproportionate" to the severity of Tejpal's alleged actions. The State clarified that it does not wish to challenge or reopen the findings or conclusions made by the Bombay High Court regarding the merits of the case.

However, they argue that the sentence given by the High Court is inadequate. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Goa, demanded the maximum punishment, stating that Tejpal's sentence should send a strong message. The petition asserts that the sentence ought not to have run concurrently and that the appropriate sentence should be life imprisonment or whatever the court deems appropriate.

The High Court had previously overturned Tejpal's acquittal by a Goa sessions court five years ago, deeming the trial court's 2021 order as "perverse". Tejpal was convicted of raping a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator during an event organized by the magazine in Goa.