Tarun Tejpal, the formerly Tehelka editor-in-chief, was acquitted of all counts of rape and sexual harassment of a subordinate coworker by a Sessions Court in Goa on Friday.
Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi eventually delivered the judgment in the seven-year-old case after multiple postponements.
The judgment was set to be delivered on April 27 by the Additional District Court, but judge Kshama Joshi postponed it until May 12. The Court has previously stated that the verdict would be issued on May 19. It was, however, rescheduled for May 21.
Tejpal was charged with sexually assaulting a female coworker within the elevator of a five-star resort in Goa at a gathering in 2013, and the matter dated back to that year. Tejpal was detained on November 30, 2013, and was released on parole after denying the accusations.
Tejpal had a charge sheet filed against him by the Goa crime branch. He was charged with violating the IPC’s sections 341, 342, 354, 354-A, 354-B, 376(2)(f), and 376(2)(k).
The editor had already petitioned the Bombay High Court for a halt on the filing of accusations on him, but his motion was denied.
Lawcutor 