Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has refused to stay the framing of charges against senior journalist and author Tarun Tejpal in a sexual assault case, which is scheduled for hearing on Thursday.
Tejpal had petitioned the High Court pleading to stall the framing of the charge by the trial court contending that allegations by the complainant are false. He pointed out that the allegation by the victim that he sexually assaulted her in a hotel lift and the CCTV footage where she walks out ‘happily’ does not corroborate this. The public prosecutor, however, argued that the alleged accused was attempting to delay the trial.
On hearing both parties, the court refused to stay framing of charges but deferred the process of examining witnesses till further orders. The court also issued notice to the prosecution, returnable on November 1.
In November 2013, a woman journalist had accused Tejpal of sexual assault inside an elevator of a five-star hotel during the Thinkfest conference in Goa.
The complainant then quit her job with Tehelka while Tejpal soon steeped aside from the magazine he had founded. The police said the CCTV footage from the hotel had corroborated her claims and submitted before the fast-track court that he had committed the offense on the woman twice.
