“He is acquitted.” Special judge Kshyama Joshi pronounced the judgment.
The Mapusa District and Sessions Court in Goa on May 21 acquitted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 sexual harassment and rape case filed by his colleague.
Mr. Tejpal was accused of raping his colleague in an elevator of a five-star hotel. He was arrested on November 30, 2013, by the Goa Crime Branch and was granted bail on July 1, 2014, by the Supreme Court.
Also read: Tarun Tejpal case – a timeline
In February 2014, the Goa Crime Branch filed a 2,846-page chargesheet against Mr. Tejpal.
No journalists were allowed inside the court due to COVID-19 protocols.
Public Prosecutor Francisco Tavora told The Hindu, “He is acquitted.”
Special judge Kshyama Joshi pronounced the judgment, and the reasons for acquittal will be known in due course of time.
On September 29, 2017, the court framed charges against him under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The trial commenced in March 2018 but got…