Tarun Tejpal's Trial To Continue, Rape Charges "Serious", Says Top Court

Trial against Tarun Tejpal will proceed in Goa court. (File)

The trial against Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal, accused of raping a junior colleague, will not be cancelled, the Supreme Court said today, noting that the charges against the senior journalist were serious and "an assault on the privacy of the victim."

Tarun Tejpal had petitioned the Supreme Court to set aside the rape charges against him by a trial court in Goa.

The court not just rejected his request but also directed the Goa court to complete the trial in six months as it had been delayed.

North Goa district judge Vijaya Pol fixed September 23 as the next date of hearing after the top court dismissed Tarun Tejpal's plea, reported news agency PTI.

Tarun Tejpal, the founder-editor of Tehelka, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman employee during an event in Goa in 2013, the ThinkFest organized by the newsmagazine.

The young woman has accused the 52-year-old of assaulting her inside an elevator of the five-star hotel where the event took place.

The allegations surfaced after a series of emails in which the woman complained to her seniors at Tehelka and Mr Tejpal and the magazine's then Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhary responded, were leaked and published by media.

Mr Tejpal stepped down as Tehelka Editor soon after, saying he was "recusing" himself for six months. He was arrested on in November 2013. He has been out on bail since May 2014.

In a 2,684-page chargesheet filed before the Goa fast-track court, the police said Mr Tejpal assaulted the woman twice and that there was enough evidence against him.

Mr Tejpal has said the allegations are false and part of "political vendetta" by the BJP government in Goa.

He had approached the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court in 2017 dismissed the same request.

(With Inputs From PTI)