Goa CM Sawant says State Govt will challenge Tejpal’s acquittal in HC
A Goa fast track court on Friday acquitted journalist Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 case of sexually assaulting a former female colleague in an elevator of a luxury hotel in Goa.
Following the court verdict, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the State Government will challenge Tejpal’s acquittal in the High Court.
Additional sessions judge Kshama Joshi acquitted Tejpal, who was present in the court along with his family members, when the judgment was pronounced early on Friday.
“The court has acquitted Tejpal of all the charges. A detailed order about it will be made available later,” advocate Suhas Velip, junior to advocate Rajiv Gomes, who represented Tejpal in the court, told reporters.
Defendant’s lawyer Gomes died of Covid-19 last week.
After the court verdict, the prosecution also said it will challenge the order in the High Court.
Earlier, the court had adjourned pronouncement of the verdict in the case on three occasions, citing various reasons. Initially, the court was to deliver the verdict on April 27, but the judge had adjourned it to May 12. On May 12, it was further adjourned to May 19. However, it was again adjourned to May 21.
Public prosecutor Francis Tavora told reporters that the session’s court order would be challenged in the High Court.
“As soon as we get the detailed written order, we will approach the High Court challenging it,” he said.
Talking to reporters, Sawant said, “We will not tolerate any injustice to be meted out to the women in Goa. We will challenge the district court’s order before the High Court soon in this case.”
The Goa CM said he has personally discussed the issue with the public prosecutor and the investigating officer in the case about challenging the verdict in the High Court.
Sawant claimed that there was enough evidence against the accused. The Goa police had registered an FIR against Tejpal in November 2013, following which he was arrested. The Goa crime branch had filed a 2,846-page charge sheet against Tejpal, who has been out on bail since May 2014. During the trial, the prosecution examined 71 witnesses and cross examined five defence witnesses. The case of the prosecution mainly relied on the statement of the victim and averments of some of her colleagues besides electronic evidence including e-mails and WhatsApp messages.
He faced trial under major Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 376(2)(f) (person in a position of authority over women, committing rape) and 376(2)k) (rape by a person in a position of control).
After the verdict, Tejpal issued a statement through his daughter Tara who read it outside the court building in Mapusa town near Panaji, in which he thanked the court for its “rigorous, impartial and fair trial”.
“The past seven-and-a-half years have been traumatic for my family as we have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these false allegations on every aspect of our personal, professional and public lives,” he said.
“We have felt the boot of the State, but all through it we have cooperated fully with the Goa police and the legal system, through hundreds of court proceedings,” he said.
He further said, “It is with profound respect that I thank this court for its rigorous, impartial and fair trial and for its thorough examination of the CCTV footage and other empirical material on record.”