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Bombay HC adjourns appeal against Tejpal acquittal to August 2nd week
At the previous hearing, Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Tarun Tejpal, sought time to file his reply saying the defence was yet to receive copies of the amended memo of appeal filed by the state against the acquittal
The Bombay high court at Goa on Thursday adjourned to the second week of August the appeal against the acquittal of former editor of Tehelka magazine Tarun Tejpal after his counsel sought more time.
When the matter came up for hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who argued for the state of Goa, sought leave to file appeal against the acquittal. “The way in which the trial court has proceeded leaves much to be desired. At least the judiciary is not expected to proceed. I think not granting leave is not even an option,” Mehta told the bench of justices M S Sonak and M S Jawalkar.
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At the previous hearing, Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Tarun Tejpal, sought time to file his reply saying the defence was yet to receive copies of the amended memo of appeal filed by the state against the acquittal.
In its appeal, the Goa government assailed the judgement of additional sessions judge Kshama Joshi calling it ‘perverse’ and “influenced by extraneous inadmissible materials and testimonies, graphic details of the past sexual history of the victim”.
The former editor of Tehelka magazine was accused of raping a junior colleague in an elevator of a five-star hotel in Goa during the THiNK festival in November 2013. The complainant alleged that Tejpal raped her in a lift in the hotel on November 7 and attempted to assault her again on November 8. Tejpal, who refuted the charges in court, was acquitted by the fast-track court on May 21.
