Tarun Tejpal Verdict: What Was It, Why Is It Being Criticised, What Next; All You Need To Know

Appealing against the acquittal of Tarun Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka, the state government on May 27 pushed for its early hearing, saying “we owe it to our girls” & that the acquittal order is “eeroneous in law” & “unsustainable”. Tarun Tejpal had been charged with sexual assault of his then colleague in a Goa hotel in 2013. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta is representing the state government. He told a vacation bench of the Bombay High Court in Goa that the way the trial court had dealt with the case of sexual assault made it seem like “any person who is a victim of sexual assault has to exhibit her trauma” & unless she did that, she could not be believed. Justice S C Gupte directed the sessions court that acquitted Tejpal to redact from its judgment references that may reveal the identity of the victim including her email address & names of her family members. Requesting the court to hear the Goa government’s appeal at the earliest, Mehta said, “We owe it to our girls that the court hears it at the earliest”. On May 21, Tejpal was acquitted of all charges in a case of rape and sexual harassment. The trial court judge, while acquitting Tejpal, said the victim had herself “proactively” sent text messages to Tejpal after the incident. Watch the video to know more.