SC Dismisses Tehelka Founder Tarun Tejpal’s Plea To Quash Rape Charges, Directs Goa Court To Finish Trial In 6 Months

The Supreme Court dismissed the plea of Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal’s to set aside the rape charges against him by a trial court in Goa, reports NDTV.

The court said that the charges against the senior journalist were serious and "an assault on the privacy of the victim," and directed the Goa court to complete the trial within six months.

Tarun Tejpal, the founder-editor of Tehelka, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman employee during ThinkFest, an event organised in Goa in 2013 by the news magazine.

The junior employee accused the 52-year-old of assaulting her inside an elevator of the five-star hotel where the event took place.

The allegations became public after a series of emails between the victim and the seniors of the magazine were leaked. After this, Tejpal stepped down as Tehelka Editor and was arrested on in November 2013. He has been out on bail since May 2014.

The founder-editor held BJP’s political vendetta responsible for the case, and approached the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court in 2017 dismissed his plea to quash the rape case.

The 2,684-page chargesheet filed before the Goa fast-track court by the police says that Tejpal assaulted the victim twice and that there was sufficient evidence proving the accusations.