A court in Goa on Friday acquitted the founder editor of Tehelka magazine of the rape charges brought against him.
In 2013, a woman colleague accused Tarun Tejpal of sexually assaulting on the sidelines of a conference at a five-star resort in Goa.
The trial court had charged Tejpal with rape, sexual harassment and wrongful confinement in 2017.
But the charges were challenged by Tarun Tejpal in the Supreme Court.
After hearing the plea, the top court had ordered the trial in Goa to continue.
According to a media report, Tarun Tejpal’s daughter Cara Tejpal read out a statement on behalf of her father where she said he was “falsely accused” of sexual assault.
“It is with profound respect that I thank this court for its rigorous, impartial and fair trial and for its thorough examination of CCTV footage and other empirical material on record,” a media report quoted Tejpal as saying.
Tejpal thanked his lawyer Rajiv Gomes, who has succumbed to Covid19 infection.
“The past seven -an-a-half years have been traumatic for my family as we have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these false allegations on every aspect of our personal, professional and public lives,” Tejpal added.
Tejpal resigned as Tehelka editor after the rape charge was brought against him.
He was arrested by police in November 2013.
But he was able to get bail in May 2014.
A 2,684-page chargesheet was filed against Tejpal before a fast-track court in Goa.
The police claimed they had enough evidence against Tejpal.