Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal being taken away by police from Sessions Court in Goa
Tarun Tejpal, the founder of Tehelka, has been sent to police custody for six days by a Goa Sessions court.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Shama Joshi passed the order for Mr Tejpal's remand on a plea by the police, which had brought the Tehelka founder to court before noon today.
Public prosecutor Frances Tavera sought police custody of Mr Tejpal saying his custodial interrogation was needed because of the nature of the crime involved. However, Mr Tejpal's lawyers opposed the demand for police custody saying he was cooperating with the Crime Branch.
Mr Tejpal was arrested on charges of raping a junior colleague yesterday after the court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. Mr Tejpal was arrested from the Goa crime branch office in Dona Paula shortly after 9 pm, where he had been camping for almost five hours.
"The statement of the victim and the documents in the form of emails etc., details of which need not be reproduced here, prima facie indicate that the applicant, who was her mentor and father figure, had not only outraged her modesty but had misused his position, betrayed her trust and violated her body," Judge Anuja Prabhudesai had observed in her 25-page order. (
Read)
Mr Tejpal is accused of raping the reporter at an annual Tehelka conference in Goa earlier this month. She did not press charges, but detailed her allegations against him to her boss at Tehelka, Shoma Chaudhury, in an email that was leaked. She resigned last week. (
Read: full text of resignation letter here)
The Goa Police used that email to commence its investigation against Mr Tejpal.