Bombay HC issues notice to former Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal

Panaji:The Bombay High Court at Goa on Wednesday issued a notice to former Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal following an appeal filed by the State Government against acquittal of the senior scribe by a trial court in a rape case.

In an order, Justice S C Gupta sought all the proceedings and records related to the case from the trial court.The notice is returnable on June 24, 2021.

The senior journalist was charged against under sections 376 (rape), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) 354A (sexual harassment) and 354B (criminal assault), of the Indian Penal Code, after a colleague accused him of rape at a resort in Goa in 2013.

He was acquited by District and Sessions Court in North Goa on May 21, 2021.

HC directs court to amend victim references in Tejpal judgement

Earlier,The Bombay High Court at Goa asked North Goa Additional District and Sessions Court to rewrite references made in Tarun Tejpal case judgement which revealed the identity of sexual assault victim last week.

The High Court's single bench of Justice S C Gupte also gave three day's time to make the alterations to the judgement before the order is uploaded to the court's online portal for public viewing.

In its order, the sessions court on May 21, 2021, had acquitted the former Tehelka editor-in-chief from charges of rape levelled against him by a junior colleague in 2013.

The order came upon submission by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the order by the Additional District and Sessions judge Kshama Joshi had references to the victim's husband, her email and her mother's name in the judgement.

Speaking to reporters Assistant Solicitor General Pravin Faldessai said the "judgement is not proper" and had "glaring irregularities".

"There is no question of why the state has filed the appeal. We find that the judgement of the Additional Sessions Court is wrong. The acquittal is not made on the proper prospects of law. So the state is right in filing an appeal," he said.

The Goa government has appealed against the acquittal of the senior journalist. The case is expected come up for hearing on June 2.(UNI)