Facing the charge of raping a junior colleague, Tehelka’s disgraced editor Tarun Tejpal will have a date with the Goa Police in Panjim on Friday. This will be Tejpal’s first appearance since the sex scandal came to public knowledge a week ago. Since then Tejpal has not been spotted in public and his whereabouts remained a matter of intense speculation.
After Tejpal missed the 3 pm deadline set for appearing for questioning, the Goa Police approached the sessions court and procured a non-bailable arrest warrant against him. This eventually forced Tejpal to agree to land in Goa on Friday. “We got the second fax from Tejpal agreeing to arrive here on Friday after the non-bailable warrant (NBW) news was released by the media,” a police official said.
Tejpal kept the media and the police waiting at the Dabolim airport for better part of the Thursday afternoon before he asked for time until Saturday to appear before the investigating officer. In the Delhi High Court, Tejpal sought the withdrawal of his anticipatory bail petition saying he would move an appropriate court for an appropriate remedy.
His arrest is imminent. Earlier in the day, Tehelka managing editor Shoma Chaudhury resigned from her post. Goa Deputy Inspector General of Police OP Mishra dismissed Tejpal’s written contention that he did not have adequate time to leave for Goa from Delhi. “When the summons were issued, journey time from Delhi to Goa was taken into account,” Mishra said.
“The IO (investigating officer) has not accepted the request for extension taking into account the seriousness of the crime. We are proceeding without delay,” said the DIG Police. Asked whether the Goa Police was proceeding to effect an arrest, Mishra indicated such a course. “There should be no doubt that the next logical step is that. The IO is proceeding as per logical and legal protocol,” he said
Earlier, advocate Sandeep Kapur said that a letter written by Tarun Tejpal has been sent by fax to the Goa Police that he will appear before the investigating officer and join the probe on Friday.
A copy of the letter, addressed to Sunita Sawant, police inspector CID/CB PS Dona Paula, Goa, was made available to the media in which Tejpal described the sequence of receiving the summons issued to him and said he “requires a little more time” to appear before it as he is not a resident of Goa.
“I have just been informed that last night, November 27, around about 10.45 PM, you had left the summons with my wife Geetan Batra Tejpal, asking me to appear at CID Crime Branch office at Dona Paula, Panaji, Goa on November 28, 2013 at 15.00 hours for investigation of CID crime branch PS Dona Paula, Goa Cr. No 27/2013 u/s 354-A, 376, 376 (2)(k) of IPC.”
“Since I am not a resident of Goa, I require a little time to appear before you. I request you to kindly allow me to present myself for investigations on Saturday afternoon - that is, day after,” he said in his letter. Tejpal, however, assured the investigating officer that he will give his full cooperation in the ongoing investigation. “I hope that is okay, I assure you of my complete and full cooperation. I am also sending a hard copy of the same by courier,” he said.
He also mentioned in his letter that the Goa Police has declined to grant him time till Saturday to appear before it. “We have just been given to understand that our plea for extension till Saturday has been disallowed, as per the news reported on the TV channels. Accordingly, please note that I shall be reporting for investigation to you tomorrow itself and as always assure you of my full cooperation,” Tejpal said.