NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal (51) in a case of an alleged sexual assault on a colleague in a Goa hotel during a Think Fest event the magazine organised on November 7 and 8.
Arrested on November 30, he was already out on an interim bail since May 19 to carry out the last rites of his mother who died in Goa after prolonged illness. He was charged on February 18 with rape, sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of his colleague.
While granting him a regular bail, the Bench of Justice H L Dattu and S A Bobde warned him not to influence the witnesses or harass the victim, her friends and family. The Goa government can approach the court in case of any such attempts by him.
The court asked the trial court to complete the trial expeditiously, preferably within eight months. It also directed Tejpal to surrender his passport to the trial court in Goa if he has not already done so.
He was granted an interim bail of three weeks on May 19 after his mother’s death which was further extended up to June 27 and then up to July 1.
