Tarun Tejpal sentenced to 10 years in rape case

An Indian court sentenced former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment on Thursday after convicting him of raping a junior colleague in a case that drew nationwide attention.

Tejpal, 63, was accused of raping the journalist in the lift of a five-star hotel in Goa during an event in November 2013.

A trial court in Goa acquitted him in 2021 of charges including rape, sexual harassment and wrongful restraint. The Goa government challenged that ruling before the Bombay High Court, which set aside the trial court verdict and sentenced him on Thursday.

Goa Police investigator Sunita Sawant, who led the probe, told reporters that Tejpal had been given two weeks to surrender. She said the court also ordered him to pay a fine of $5,250.

Tejpal said he would challenge the conviction in the Supreme Court. He told reporters he had been pursued for 13 years as part of a political vendetta. He has previously alleged that the case against him was linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Goa.

The case emerged after India's handling of sexual assault cases came under intense scrutiny following the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus in December 2012, which triggered nationwide protests and led to stronger rape laws.