An apology email written by former Tarun Tejpal to his junior colleague shortly after the alleged sexual assault emerged as one of the key pieces of evidence relied upon by the prosecution in the case that resulted in his conviction and 10-year prison sentence on Thursday.
Tejpal was convicted for raping his junior colleague during the ThinkFest event organised by Tehelka at a five-star hotel in Goa in November 2013. The prosecution alleged that the assaults took place inside a hotel elevator on November 7 and 8, 2013.
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Although a Goa trial court acquitted Tejpal in May 2021, the Goa government challenged the verdict before the Bombay High Court. The High Court overturned the acquittal, convicted him, and later sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment.
During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta referred extensively to an email Tejpal sent to the complainant on November 19, 2013, a day after she lodged a complaint with the magazine’s managing editor.
According to the prosecution, the email amounted to an admission that the incidents had occurred. In it, Tejpal apologised for what he described as a “shameful lapse of judgment”, expressed remorse, and acknowledged that he had attempted a sexual relationship with the complainant on two occasions despite her “clear reluctance.”
In the email, Tejpal also referred to his long association with one of the complainant’s parents and admitted to violating the trust and respect that existed between them. He apologised unconditionally, stating that he deeply regretted his actions.
However, Tejpal’s counsel, senior advocate Abad Ponda, argued that the email did not amount to an admission of sexual assault. The defence contended that the apology referred only to consensual verbal conversations of a sexual nature and not to the offences alleged by the complainant.
The prosecution maintained that the contents of the email corroborated the survivor’s account and supported its case that the encounters were non-consensual, making it a significant piece of evidence in securing Tejpal’s conviction.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
