NEW DELHI: Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before the Mapusa court on Monday after the Bombay high court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for raping a junior colleague in a hotel lift in Goa in 2013.Tejpal had challenged the high court’s verdict in the Supreme Court, which directed him to surrender within two weeks. The high court’s ruling on August 6 overturned his acquittal by a Goa sessions court in 2021 and convicted him of the offence.The Supreme Court’s direction means Tejpal must begin serving his sentence, subject to any further orders in his appeal.
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The case relates to allegations that Tejpal sexually assaulted a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in November 2013 during an event organised by Tehelka magazine.A Goa sessions court acquitted him of all charges in May 2021, saying the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The Goa government challenged that decision before the Bombay High Court, which later overturned the acquittal and imposed a 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence.Tejpal approached the Supreme Court through advocate Aditya Samaddar. The Goa government has also challenged the high court’s sentence, seeking life imprisonment on the grounds that the punishment was inadequate considering the seriousness of the offences.