Shoma Chaudhury quits Tehelka, but defense is rejected

New Delhi: Shoma Chaudhury, who has resigned as the Managing Editor of Tehelka magazine, today met the National Commission of Women (NCW) and apologised for what the panel has called lapses in her handling of allegations that the publication's founder Tarun Tejpal sexually assaulted a young reporter in Goa earlier this month.

The NCW said it was not satisfied with her response to it. "There was inaction...You can't right a wrong. A complaint should have been sent to a complaint cell," the NCW's Shamina Shafiq said.

She also expressed concern that three male journalists at Tehelka, who the young reporter had narrated her ordeal to, had kept quiet for so long. The NCW will question the journalists.

Shoma Choudhury would not disclose details of the meeting, but said, "I have made procedural mistakes. I have repeatedly said I demonstrated facts. It cannot be deemed as a hush up...it pains me that there were questions about my integrity. Most work places are not trained to deal with such incidents."

The NCW and legal experts have alleged that Ms Chaudhury broke the law by failing to report her employee's complaint against Mr Tejpal to the police.

In an email to staff this morning, Shoma Chaudhury denied being part of a "cover-up" to protect Tarun Tejpal. "I do not want questions raised about my integrity to tarnish the image of Tehelka, which it has done in the past week. Therefore, I resign as Managing Editor with immediate effect," she wrote. (Read: Shoma Chaudhury quits, rejects "cover-up" charges)

She also acknowledged that "she could have done many things differently". (Full text of Shoma Chaudhury's letter)

The young reporter, who has since resigned from the magazine, first made the allegations against  Mr Tejpal in a detailed email to Ms Chaudhury, which was leaked and then used by the Goa Police as the basis of its rape case against him.

The young reporter quit the magazine on Monday, saying she had come under pressure from  Mr Tejpal's family to drop her allegations. (Journalist's resignation letter to Tehelka: full text)

Mr Tejpal's arrest now seems imminent after he failed to meet a 3 pm deadline set by the Goa Police for his interrogation.   (Read: Tarun Tejpal skips interrogation, to be arrested)