An Indian court has found former Tehelka magazine editor Tarun Tejpal guilty of raping a former colleague. The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court overturned his 2021 acquittal in a sexual assault case that is a decade old.
Mr Tejpal was convicted under sections of Indian law relating to rape and sexual harassment, according to legal website LiveLaw. He is scheduled to be sentenced later on Thursday.
Mr Tejpal has consistently denied the accusations and can appeal the verdict in a higher court. His accuser alleged he assaulted her in an elevator at a Tehelka event in Goa in November 2013.
After his arrest, Mr Tejpal spent seven months in jail before the Supreme Court granted him bail. A trial court in Goa dismissed all charges against him in 2021, a judgment which the Goa government subsequently appealed.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Goa government, urged the high court to impose the maximum sentence, stating, "This court must give a clear message to society that when a girl says no, it means no. A no means a no."
Mr Tejpal told the court, "All I can say is I am 62. I believe I am a political victim. I am a father of two daughters. I have a wife. All we can say is we will go up and appeal. My lawyer wants me to request you to be lenient," as quoted by legal website Bar and Bench.