Tarun Tejpal surrenders in Goa to begin 10-year sentence in 2013 assault case

Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before a Goa court on Monday and was sent to the Central Jail at Colvale in North Goa to begin serving a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in a 2013 sexual assault case.

He appeared before the Additional Sessions Court at Mapusa, the same court that had earlier acquitted him, to comply with a Supreme Court direction requiring him to surrender.

Supreme Court refused exemption

In August, the Supreme Court gave Tejpal three weeks to surrender and serve his sentence, dismissing his plea for an exemption from surrendering. A bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe passed the order.

The apex court scheduled his appeal against the conviction and sentence for hearing on 22 September, subject to his filing a surrender certificate. It said that if the certificate were filed on or before 21 September 2026, the registry would list the criminal appeal before the regular court on 22 September 2026.

Conviction and sentence

On 6 August, the Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal of raping a colleague inside a hotel elevator in November 2013, during an event organised by the magazine in Goa. He was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, overturning the trial court's acquittal of five years earlier.

Tejpal was convicted under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 376(2)(f), which covers rape committed by a person in a position of trust or authority, along with 354(a) for sexual harassment and 354(b) for assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe. The maximum punishment under Section 376(2)(f) is life imprisonment.

The court also imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh on him and directed that the amount be paid to the victim.

Acquittal overturned

Tejpal was arrested in November 2013 in connection with the case and remained in custody for a few weeks before being granted bail. His trial was held before the Additional Sessions Court at Mapusa, which acquitted him of all charges in May 2021, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The Goa government challenged the acquittal in the Bombay High Court, arguing that the lower court had erred in its appreciation of the evidence. The High Court reversed the acquittal, relying heavily on the victim's testimony and other material, including CCTV footage and emails exchanged after the alleged incident.

The case has moved through the courts for more than a decade, and Tejpal's appeal against the conviction is now set to be heard by the Supreme Court.