TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused an interim bail to Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal without hearing the prosecution and issued a notice to the Goa Government returnable in four weeks. Tejpal is in judicial custody at Sada sub-jail since November 30 on the charge of sexually assaulting a junior colleague during a Thinkfest event.
His counsel Harish Salve’s pleas for an immediate interim bail did not cut ice with the apex court Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam even as he stressed that Tejpal won’t leave Goa without the prior nod of the trial court and will not come to Delhi during the pendency of the trial to allay fears of influencing the witnesses since the complainant and witnesses live in the national capital.
The Chief Justice said it would not grant any interim order without hearing the prosecution. Two other judges on the Bench that heard the petition against the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court rejecting the bail application on April 10 were Justices Ranjan Gogoi and NV Ramana. Tejpal has sought bail on the ground that the trial is likely to take long since there were 152 prosecution witnesses.
Tejpal has been chargesheeted under sections 354, 354-A (sexual harassment), 341 and 342 (wrongful restrain), 376 (rape), 376(2)(f) (being a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman and rapes her) and 376 (2)(k) (being in a position of control or dominance over a woman and rapes her) of the IPC.
The police has claimed in the chargesheet that there was sufficient evidence available in the form of documents and statements on record to show that Tejpal had been evading police after commission of the alleged crime.
