The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to surrender within two weeks, rejecting his request for exemption from surrendering before his appeal against his conviction and 10-year prison sentence in the 2013 sexual assault case is heard.
Justice Alok Aradhe rejected Tejpal’s application seeking exemption from surrender and directed him to furnish a surrender certificate. The court said that if the certificate is filed on or before September 22, his criminal appeal can be listed for hearing on that date.
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The direction came during proceedings concerning Tejpal’s challenge to his conviction and sentence in the case, which dates back more than a decade.
Lawyers argue surrender should not be mandatory
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Aman Lekhi, appearing for Tejpal, argued that there was no legal requirement for an accused to surrender before a criminal appeal could be listed.
Sibal also referred to the Bombay high court’s August 6 judgment, which had granted Tejpal four weeks to surrender. He argued that the matter was already 13 years old and highlighted Tejpal’s age and circumstances.
The lawyers also pointed out that Tejpal is now a senior citizen and has strong roots in society, seeking consideration of these circumstances while requesting an exemption from surrender.
The Supreme Court, however, declined to grant the requested exemption and directed Tejpal to comply with the surrender requirement before his appeal is taken up.
Case dates back to 2013
The case stems from allegations of sexual assault made against Tejpal in 2013. The former editor was subsequently tried in Goa in connection with the allegations.
A trial court in Goa had acquitted Tejpal in 2021, but the matter was later taken up by the Bombay high court, which convicted him and imposed a 10-year prison sentence.
Tejpal challenged the conviction and sentence before the Supreme Court.
The legal proceedings have continued for several years, with the latest dispute focusing on whether Tejpal should first surrender before his appeal against the conviction can be heard.
The Supreme Court’s latest order means that Tejpal must now surrender and submit the required certificate within the timeline set by the court.
Supreme Court sets September 22 as key date
Justice Alok Aradhe directed that the surrender certificate be placed on record. If Tejpal files the certificate by September 22, his appeal will be listed on that date.
The order does not decide the merits of Tejpal’s appeal against his conviction. The question of whether the conviction and sentence should stand will be considered separately when the appeal is heard.
The development marks another step in the long-running legal proceedings arising from the 2013 case.
For now, Tejpal’s immediate legal obligation is to comply with the Supreme Court’s direction to surrender. His appeal against the conviction and sentence remains pending before the top court.
