The rape case of 2013 in which Tarun Tejpal, the former Editor in Chief of Tahelka was acquitted by the trial court has now went into appeal in the High Court and the Goa government has brought to the notice of the court that, the victim girl was named and shamed in this case and the Judgement is “retrograde” and “fit for fifth century”.
The case of Tarun Tejpal V/s State of Goa has went on for almost a decade before ending up in naming and shaming the victim girl’s identity, and Tejpal was acquitted in the case by the Trial Court Magistrate on the benefit of doubt.
The matter has come before the Bombay High Court Bench comprising of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and M S Jawalkar, who later adjourned the matter for the hearing on November 16th.
On that day the judge will hear the application of accused, challenging the maintainability of the state government’s appeal against his acquittal in the case.
The Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the state government in this case, has brought before the court that fact that the victim was named and shamed. He also termed the judgment of the trial court as “retrograde” and “fit for fifth century”.
Justice Dere also uphold the matter of naming shaming saying, the lawyer shall point out the page number while submitting about the evidence. “in not just this case, but in all the cases of rape, we will not allow lawyers to read the evidence, we will read it ourselves”.
It may recalled that the former editor-in-chief of Tahelka, Tarun Tejpal is facing the charge of raping a colleague in the lift of a five star hotel in Goa in November 2013 where they were attending an event.
When the matter came up before the High Court’s division bench on Wednesday, Tarun Tejpal’s lawyer Amit Desai submitted to the court to consider two applications filed by him.
In the application submitted before the High Court bench, Tarun Tejpal has challenged the
the maintainability of the Goa government’s appeal against his acquittal in the case.
He also said that they have filed an application for ‘in-camera’ hearing into the matter, which Mehta opposed. The bench will hear later Tarun Tejpal’s application seeking in-camera hearing into the matter. The hearing on Wednesday was held in virtual mode.
