High-profile Indian investigative journalist convicted of raping colleague

Tarun Tejpal, ex-editor of Tehelka magazine, was initially acquitted in 2021 in case that drew nationwide attention

An Indian court has sentenced a high-profile former editor of an investigative news magazine to 10 years in prison after convicting him of raping a junior colleague, overturning his acquittal in a case that drew nationwide attention.

Tarun Tejpal, 63, the founder and former editor of Tehelka magazine, was accused of raping a journalist in the lift of a five-star hotel in the western coastal state of Goa during an event in November 2013. He was arrested and spent seven months in jail until the supreme court granted him bail.

A court in Goa acquitted Tejpal of charges including rape, sexual harassment and wrongful restraint in 2021.

The government of Goa challenged the acquittal before the Bombay high court, which set aside the trial court’s verdict and sentenced him to 10 years in jail on Thursday.

“He has been convicted to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. He has been given two weeks’ time to surrender,” the police investigator Sunita Sawant, who led the case against Tejpal, told reporters.

The court also ordered him to pay a £3,900 fine, he said.

Tejpal, 63, said he would challenge the conviction in the supreme court.

He had initially blamed the assault on “a lapse of judgement” but later alleged the case against him was part of a vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government in Goa.

“For the past 13 years, they have been pursuing me as a part of a political vendetta,” he said after conviction.

Sawant told reporters: “This is a sentence where a girl has stood up for her rights … so this judgment is very important for women who are working in any sector.”

The case emerged at a time when India’s handling of sexual assault cases was under intense scrutiny after the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a Delhi bus in December 2012.

That attack triggered nationwide protests and international outrage, and prompted the government to strengthen the country’s rape laws.

Tejpal’s case severely damaged the authority and credibility of Tehelka, which had historically championed women’s rights and social justice.

The magazine continues to operate under new leadership, but it has failed to regain the influence it had before the 2013 case.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland , or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland . In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html