Former IO Sunita Sawant and Goa AG Devidas Pangam welcomed the Bombay High Court’s decision convicting Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case, stating the trial court’s earlier acquittal order was “perverse” and erroneous.
Panaji (Goa) [India], August 6 (ANI): Senior Goa Police official and the former investigation officer in the alleged sexual assault case involving Tarun Tejpal, Sunita Sawant on Thursday welcomed the Bombay High Court’s decision convicting the former Tehelka editor-in-chief in the 2013 case. Swant stated that the trial court had failed to properly appreciate the evidence and that the High Court rightly set aside the acquittal.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Sawant said the State had challenged the acquittal because it believed the trial court’s order was “perverse”. “We had already challenged the trial court’s order because it was definitely a perverse order,” she said. “The court has heard arguments on the quantum of sentence and will pronounce the verdict at 2:30 pm. The minimum sentence under Section 376 is 10 years of imprisonment, while the maximum is life imprisonment. Let’s wait for the court’s order.”
Thorough Investigation Highlighted
Sawant further highlighted that the investigation had been conducted thoroughly and that all evidence gathered during the probe was placed before the court. “It was a challenging investigation for me as well,” Sawant told ANI. “Whatever emerged during the normal course of the investigation was presented before the court. At some point, the trial court lagged behind in appreciating the evidence. Everything was argued before the High Court, which examined the flaws in the trial court’s order and accordingly set aside the acquittal.”
Advocate General Calls Verdict a ‘Solace for the Victim’
Meanwhile, Goa Advocate General Devidas Pangam also welcomed the Bombay High Court’s decision, calling it a “judgment based on justice and evidence”. He added that the ruling brought solace to the survivor after what he termed an erroneous acquittal by the trial court.
Speaking to ANI, Pangam stated that the trial court had “completely gone wrong” in acquitting Tejpal despite the evidence on record. “This judgment is actually a good judgment in my opinion because the trial court had completely gone wrong when it ordered the acquittal of the accused,” Pangam said. “There was so much evidence on record, and the facts were proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Despite that, the trial court acquitted him based on surmises regarding the character of the victim. In fact, the entire judgment amounted to a character assassination of the victim. She was treated as if she were the accused.”
He noted that the High Court’s verdict restored faith in justice for the survivor. “The judgment of the High Court has come as a solace for the victim,” he said. “It is a judgment based on justice and the evidence on record. As a State, we are happy that we have been able to secure justice for a girl who was victimised by her own employer.”
Pangam further emphasised that clear evidence existed against the accused, including emails in which he had apologised, and criticised the trial court’s evaluation of the case material. “There were letters and two emails where the accused expressed his apology,” he said. “Despite such evidence, the trial court acquitted him. Today, I feel justice has finally been done.”
He also commended the investigation team, the prosecution, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for their efforts in pursuing the appeal before the High Court.
Background of the Case
The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case filed by his junior colleague. The Bombay High Court’s Goa bench delivered the verdict on the Goa government’s appeal challenging Tejpal’s acquittal by the Goa Sessions Court in 2021.
The case pertains to allegations made by a female journalist who accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her inside a hotel elevator on November 7 and 8, 2013. Tejpal was arrested on November 30, 2013, on those charges.
On September 29, 2017, the court charged him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. However, he pleaded not guilty.
Following the framing of charges, Tejpal moved the Supreme Court seeking to quash the charges leveled against him. The top court refused to quash the charges and directed that the trial be concluded within six months.
In May 2021, the Goa sessions court acquitted Tejpal of all charges, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court noted the absence of medical evidence and relied on messages exchanged between the complainant and Tejpal, concluding that they did not support the claim that she had been traumatized by the alleged assault. The Goa government subsequently challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, seeking to set aside the trial court’s judgment. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)