Tarun Tejpal moves Supreme Court against conviction in 2013 rape case

Former Tehelka magazine editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, challenging his conviction and 10-year jail term handed down for the 2013 rape of a female journalist. The Goa government joined the appeal, seeking an enhanced punishment and a life sentence. On August 6, the Bombay High Court in Goa had overturned Tejpal's acquittal by a lower court and convicted him of aggravated rape and related offenses.

Tejpal had been accused of sexually assaulting the woman on two occasions during a literary festival in Goa in November 2013. The woman had reported the incident to colleagues and later to Tehelka's managing editor. Tejpal responded with apology emails before the matter became public. In May 2021, he had been acquitted by an additional sessions court, stating that the victim's messages to him disproved the prosecution's case.

However, the Goa government appealed to the high court, which reversed the trial court's decision. The high court criticized the lower court for imposing a minimum 10-year sentence, which it deemed "manifestly inadequate" and "grossly disproportionate" to the severity of the alleged crimes.