Crime
May 21, 2021
Former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal was acquitted by a court in Goa on Friday. He was arrested on November 30 in 2013 after being accused of raping a colleague at a five-star resort in North Goa.
Issuing a statement after the verdict, Tarun Tejpal said he was thankful for Judge Kshama Joshi, who pronounced the judgement, for ‘standing by the truth’.
“In November 2013 I was falsely accused of sexual assault by a colleague. Today the Hon’ble Trial Court of Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, in Goa, has honourably acquitted me. In an awfully vitiated age, where ordinary courage has become rare, I thank her for standing by the truth,” he said.
He also expressed gratitude to his family members and friends for standing by him through the ‘dark years’.
“I wish to make no further statement at this time and request my family’s privacy be respected, as we try and reclaim our broken lives. I will make a comprehensive statement at an appropriate time in the future,” he added.
The judgement was announced by the court after several rounds of deferral due to lack of staff members due to the coronavirus pandemic. The court was earlier going to pronounce the verdict on April 27, but it was adjourned to May 12. On May 12, it was further deferred to May 19 and subsequently shifted to May 21.
