Team Herald
PANJIM: Final arguments in Tarun Tejpal’s petition seeking a stay on framing of charges by the Additional North Goa District and Sessions Court, filed before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, have been postponed to December 12 in the absence of his counsel.
The High Court was to hear final arguments on Wednesday, however, Advocate Aman Lekhi representing Tehelka’s former editor-in-chief could not be present in court due to unavoidable personal reasons.
It may be recalled that the Bench on September 26, 2017, while refusing a stay the framing of charges against Tejpal allowed the lower court to frame charges in the alleged rape of a colleague in 2013 during the conference in Goa, but had also directed that the trial could begin only after the consent of the High Court.
Lekhi, while challenging the September 7 framing of charges process, had said that the accusations of rape were false and that the prosecution had delayed handing over the evidence to him by three years.
Tejpal faces charges under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 376 (rape) of the IPC, while an additional Section 354 (b) (criminal assault with intent to disrobe) had been added.
