After 13 years, Tejpal starts serving his sentence
Tarun Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, surrendered on Monday at the Additional Sessions Court in Mapusa, Goa. He was taken into custody to start his 10-year prison sentence and later moved to Modern Central Jail in Colvale, North Goa.
Tejpal turned himself in after the Supreme Court told him on August 25 to report within two to three weeks and submit a surrender certificate before it could hear his appeal. The case started in November 2013 during an event hosted by the magazine at a hotel in Goa.
A junior colleague accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her in a hotel elevator on November 7 and 8. She first reported what happened by emailing Shoma Chaudhury, then managing editor. Tejpal later admitted in an email that his actions were a “shameful lapse of judgment” and stepped down from his editorial role.
After the case became public, Goa Police registered an FIR. They arrested Tejpal on November 30, 2013, after they denied his request for anticipatory bail. He spent about seven months in jail before the SC granted him bail in July 2014.
In February 2014, investigators filed a detailed chargesheet based on statements from over 150 witnesses, electronic records, and other evidence. Charges were formally framed in 2017. The trial, which was mostly held behind closed doors, ended in May 2021 when a Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal.
The trial judge said the prosecution had not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and commented that the complainant had not shown “normative behaviour” expected of a sexual assault victim. The Goa Government appealed this decision. On August 6, 2026, a division bench of the Bombay High Court’s Goa bench, led by Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar, overturned the acquittal.
The HC found Tejpal guilty of aggravated rape, as well as sexual harassment and assault with intent to disrobe, under laws for people in positions of trust or authority. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the main charges, with shorter concurrent sentences for the others, and ordered to pay over Rs 10 lakh to the survivor.
The HC bench criticised the trial court for relying on stereotypes about a “perfect victim” and for allowing detailed examination of the complainant’s personal life. The court gave Tejpal four weeks to surrender. He then asked the SC to let him delay surrender while his appeal was pending, saying the SC had already rejected his request.
The SC rejected Tejpal’s request for exemption on August 25. It ruled that the appeal would only be heard after Tejpal surrendered and submitted a certificate. The SC set the next hearing for September 22, provided Tejpal filed the certificate by September 21. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the State, opposed any waiver because of the seriousness of the aggravated rape conviction.
On Monday, Tejpal appeared in Mapusa as ordered. Outside the court, he told reporters he was still confident the SC would deliver justice and that his legal team would keep fighting the case. His appeal will move forward on the scheduled date if he completes the surrender process. Meanwhile, the Goa Government has asked for his sentence to be increased to life imprisonment. Now 13 years old, the case is entering its final appeal stage as Tejpal begins serving his sentence.
