Days after former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal was convicted in a rape case by Bombay High Court, his daughter Cara Tejpal has decried foul play. Cara has reportedly claimed that Tarun was targeted because of Tehelka magazine's investigative journalism, with the rape allegation being used as a means to "silence" him.
Cara, in a statement on Saturday, said she did not care if she was labelled a "rape apologist" or the “child of a rapist” as she linked the rape case against Tarun to Tehelka's investigative journalism and the “controversies surrounding the magazine's reports on corruption” and the alleged wrongdoing by those in power, news agency PTI reported.
‘Examined evidence for 13 years’
"I'm not that 23-year-old anymore. I'm 36 and I couldn't care less about being called a 'rape apologist' or 'child of rapist' or whatever vile slur is used against me," she was quoted as saying.
She said she had examined the evidence in the rape case against her father for 13 years and was convinced that he was ‘innocent.’
{{/usCountry}}She said she had examined the evidence in the rape case against her father for 13 years and was convinced that he was ‘innocent.’
{{/usCountry}}"I was 23 years old when my father was arrested. I was 31 when he was acquitted, and today, at 36, I stand by him as he is convicted by the Bombay High Court on the basis of a false allegation of rape filed suo moto by the state of Goa," she said, adding that she had initially been "terrified of speaking the truth".
She further claimed that the media coverage surrounding the case deeply affected her, but was no longer willing to remain silent despite the criticism she could face for supporting her father.
"Tarun Tejpal was more than a thorn in the side of the BJP government, and what better way to silence him than to portray him as the most reviled of all sinners-a rapist," Cara was quoted as saying.
She further alleged that the case was accompanied by a strong public narrative that discouraged people from questioning the allegations.
"The truth is the truth. No court, no prime minister, no godi media can take that from us," she said, urging people to read the "actual facts of the case" rather than relying on headlines and what she described as uninformed public discourse.
Tarun Tejpal convicted
On Thursday, the Bombay high court at Goa overturned a trial court’s 2022 acquittal and sentenced Tejpal to 10 years in jail for raping a junior colleague during the ThinkFest conference at a five-star hotel in Goa in 2013.
A bench of justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar held that the trial court’s appreciation of evidence was not only unreasonable but perverse, and that its evaluation of the testimony exhibited multiple fatal flaws stemming from “preconceived notions” and reliance on how an "ideal" victim should physically resist or emotionally react.
The high court sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a ₹5 lakh fine under section 376(2)(f) of the Indian Penal Code (rape by a relative, guardian or teacher, or a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman), 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and ₹5 lakh fine under section 376(2)(f) (rape by a person in position of control or dominance over a woman), one year in prison and ₹10,000 fine under section 354 (criminal force to outrage modesty of woman), one year jail under section 354A (sexual harassment), three years rigorous imprisonment and ₹10,000 fine under section 354B (using criminal force to disrobe a woman), a fine of ₹500 each under sections 341 and 342 (wrongful restraint and punishment for wrongful confinement).
The complainant had alleged that Tejpal raped her on November 7 and attempted to assault her again on November 8.
Following the allegations, Tejpal resigned from his position and issued an email to staff apologising for the incident. While he did not specifically refer to the allegations, he referred to the incident as a “shameful lapse of judgement.”