Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday adjourned the ongoing hearing into State government’s appeal against senior journalist Tarun Tejpal’s acquittal, to September 20.
The adjournment is due to pending submission of a request before the Chief Justice for a hybrid hearing into the matter.
Tejpal had earlier this month requested the High Court to hold an ‘in-camera’ hearing of the State government’s petition. However, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State government, had at that time opposed Tejpal’s request for the ‘in-camera’ hearing, saying the “country has the right to know how the institution dealt with the girl (victim)”. Mehta, while referring to trial court’s verdict, also stated that there is an ‘institutional failure’ as the lower court’s judgment questioned the character of the victim while acquitting Tejpal in May 2021.
During the hearing on Tuesday, State Advocate General Devidas Pangam and a lawyer representing Tejpal sought time from a Bench of Justice M S Sonak and M S Jawalkar, as they are yet to file their applications before the Chief Justice for the hybrid hearing into the matter.
Pangam requested the Bench to adjourn the matter by another two weeks to file the application before the Chief Justice. The Bench then fixed the matter for hearing September 20.
