Justice will be done, both to the rape victim as well as to Tarun Tejpal, CM Manohar Parrikar has said even as the police have summoned former managing editor of the magazine Shoma Chaudhary for questioning.
Speaking at a Press conference, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that there was no question of a witch hunt against Tehelka editor-in-chief and that the matter was now in the domain of the courts and the investigating officers who will ensure justice. “I will ensure justice for the victim and for Tejpal,” Parrikar said, rejecting charges of politicisation of the rape case. “I do not succumb to any pressure. The case will go according to law,” Parrikar said, adding that “such cases should go to women judges and fast track courts.”
Meanwhile, three key witnesses in the case as well as Shoma Chaudhary have been summoned to appear before the Goa Police for recording their respective statements. Shoma has been already accused of covering up the case by the victim, a charge she has denied. The summons are expected to be formally served on Shoma and three other Tehelka employees by Wednesday evening or Thursday. The three other Tehelka employees, some of whom have already resigned post the scandal, on whom summons will be served are Ishan Tankha, Shougat Dasgupta and G Vishnu.
Shoma was the original recipient of the complaint against Tejpal filed by the victim. However the incident became public knowledge only after the contents of her original complaint leaked to the media. The victim, who later resigned accused Shoma of attempting to cover up the sexual assault complaint against Tejpal. Shoma has however denied the charge.
Police have already recorded the statement of the trio as well as Shoma during their visit to New Delhi last week, but are now attempting to record the statement in presence of a judicial magistrate. In another development, a local court also rejected Tejpal’s request made on “humanitarian grounds” to have a table fan placed outside his lock up.
Meanwhile, the Sriram Sene, a right wight fundamentalist organisation which often bore the brunt of Tehelka’s reportage has now seized the opportunity to gift a copy of the Bhagwad Gita to Tejpal who’s cooling his heels in a police lock-up. Sriram Sene was exposed by the investigative weekly for charging money to start riots and conflict. “Sriram Sene has decided to present Tejpal, through the jail officers, with a copy of Bhagwad Gita to teach him the importance of Hindu culture,” Hakeri said addressing a Press conference in Panjim.