File photo: Tarun Tejpal

Former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, Tarun Tejpal, was on May 21 acquitted of rape charges, filed by a junior colleague who had alleged that the senior journalist had sexually assaulted her in a five-star resort in Goa in 2013.

According to the special public prosecutor Francisco Tavora, the verdict was a “serious setback” and the state government will be preparing to file an appeal against the order in the high court.

Tarun Tejpal was booked under various sections, including 376 (rape) and 354B (criminal assault), of the Indian Penal Code.

“He has been acquitted from all charges. Order not given yet. It will be uploaded later,” Tejpal’s defence counsel said.

In a statement Tarun Tejpal said: “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. We have felt the boot of the state, but through it all we have cooperated fully with the Goa Police and the legal system, through hundreds of hours of court proceedings”.

“We have unwaveringly followed every mandate of due procedure and abided by every principle of law laid in the Constitution. We have also endeavoured to uphold every norm of decency expected in a case like this,” Tarun Tejpal said in a written statement, while thanking the court for its “rigorous, impartial and fair trial”.

Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Tavora claimed that the prosecution team was seriously aggrieved by the order, which he said would be challenged in the Bombay High Court.

“Accused has been acquitted of all charges. We are waiting for a copy of the judgement, but the state will be preparing for an appeal against the judgement. That’s all that I can say at this point,” Tavora told reporters.

According to the complaint filed against Tarun Tejpal by the junior colleague, the rape allegedly occurred on November 7, during a conference organised by the Tehelka media group in 2013.

Tejpal subsequently stepped down as editor of Tehelka on November 20, three days before the Goa Police filed a First Information Report against him accusing him of rape.

Tejpal was arrested on November 30, after a local court rejected his anticipatory bail application. After his arrest, Tejpal spent nearly eight months in police and judicial custody. He was later released on bail by the Supreme Court, months after a 2,846-page chargesheet by the Crime Branch of the Goa Police.

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