{"id":2232,"date":"2026-08-06T14:00:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2232"},"modified":"2026-08-06T14:00:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:00:17","slug":"indian-court-sentences-high-profile-journalist-to-10-years-for-rape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2232","title":{"rendered":"Indian court sentences high-profile journalist to 10 years for rape"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__divider\">\n<div class=\"listen-to-article\"><button class=\"listen-to-article__button\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><title>Listen<\/title>Listen (2 mins)<\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share__update-reading-list-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"update-reading-list\">\n<p class=\"update-reading-list__button-text\">Save<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div 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href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Indian%20court%20sentences%20high-profile%20journalist%20to%2010%20years%20for%20rape&amp;source=sharethiscom&amp;related=sharethis&amp;via=AJEnglish&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fd4cuqi\"><title>x<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row u-hidden--desktop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Whatsapp\" href=\"\/\/send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fd4cuqi\"><title>whatsapp-stroke<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row copylink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Copy link\" href=\"https:\/\/aje.news\/d4cuqi\"><title>copylink<\/title><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"google-preferred-source\"><button class=\"google-preferred-source__button\" aria-label=\"Add Al Jazeera on Google\" data-testid=\"google-preferred-source-button\"><title>google<\/title><span class=\"google-preferred-source__text\">Add Al Jazeera on Google<\/span><\/button><button aria-label=\"See more of Al Jazeera\u2019s trusted journalism by adding us as a preferred source on Google.\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><title>info<\/title><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-featured__media\">\n<figure class=\"article-featured-image\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-906972752.jpg?resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Tarun Tejpal says he plans to appeal the conviction at the Supreme Court\"><\/div><figcaption>Tarun Tejpal says he plans to appeal the conviction at the Supreme Court [File: Frederic Soltan\/Corbis\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-info m--t-20 m--desktop-b-30 m--b-mobile-20\">\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\"><a class=\"avatar\" aria-hidden=\"true\" href=\"\/author\/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2017-06-08T131939Z_1189275883_RC11B0FE7F20_RTRMADP_3_GULF-QATAR-JAZEERA-1714943623.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline-content\">\n<div class=\"contributors-list contributors-list--byline\"><span class=\"contributors-list__by-prefix\">By <\/span><a href=\"\/author\/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458\">Al Jazeera Staff<\/a> and <!-- -->AFP<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<div class=\"date-simple\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 6 Aug 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">6 Aug 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wysiwyg wysiwyg--all-content\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p>An Indian court has sentenced a prominent journalist to 10 years in prison for raping a junior colleague more than a decade ago, overturning an <a href=\"\/news\/2021\/5\/21\/tarun-tejpal-ex-editor-of-top-india-magazine-acquitted-of-rape\">earlier acquittal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Tarun Tejpal, 62, was accused of <a href=\"\/news\/2013\/11\/22\/indias-sexual-harassment-case-stirs-up-storm\">raping a female colleague<\/a> in a lift at a five-star hotel during a Tehelka magazine event in 2013.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"more-on__list\">\n<li class=\"more-on__article\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list 1 of 3<\/span><a class=\"more-on__link\" href=\"\/video\/the-listening-post\/2014\/2\/15\/the-rise-and-fall-of-tehelka\">The rise and fall of Tehelka<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"more-on__article\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list 2 of 3<\/span><a class=\"more-on__link\" href=\"\/news\/2014\/2\/18\/indian-editor-denies-sex-charges\">Indian editor denies sex charges<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"more-on__article\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list 3 of 3<\/span><a class=\"more-on__link\" href=\"\/news\/2021\/5\/21\/tarun-tejpal-ex-editor-of-top-india-magazine-acquitted-of-rape\">Tarun Tejpal, ex-editor of top India magazine, acquitted of rape<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The Goa bench of Bombay High Court on Thursday also ordered Tejpal to pay a fine of $5,250.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has been convicted to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. He has been given two weeks\u2019 time to surrender,\u201d Goa Police investigator Sunita Sawant, who led the investigation, told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Tejpal denied the allegations and said before the verdict that he would appeal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll 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,\u201d Tejpal told the court ahead of sentencing, according to the Indian legal news outlet Bar and Bench.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations emerged during a period of heightened public concern over sexual violence against women, culminating in mass protests after a 23-year-old student was gang raped on a bus in New Delhi in December 2012. In response, the government strengthened rape laws.<\/p>\n<p>Thursday\u2019s verdict overturned a 2021 acquittal by a Goa court, which dismissed charges of rape, sexual harassment and wrongful restraint against Tejpal.<\/p>\n<p>The Goa government challenged that decision at the Bombay High Court, leading to the acquittal being overturned.<\/p>\n<div style=\"display:block;position:relative;min-width:0px;max-width:770px\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Following the allegations in November 2013, Tejpal initially described what happened as \u201ca bad lapse of judgement\u201d. In an email to employees, he wrote that \u201can awful misreading of the situation\u201d had \u201cled to an unfortunate incident that rails against all we believe in and fight for\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\"><span class=\"ads__title\"> Advertisement <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tejpal said he would take six months\u2019 leave of absence as \u201cpenance\u201d for the assault, provoking anger and accusations that he had trivialised the matter. He was later arrested and spent seven months in jail before being released on bail by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>He later alleged that the case against him was part of a \u201cpolitical vendetta\u201d by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Goa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ListenListen (2 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share facebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Tarun Tejpal says he plans to appeal the conviction at the Supreme Court [File: Frederic Soltan\/Corbis\/Getty Images) By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP Published On 6 Aug 20266 Aug 2026 An Indian court has sentenced a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - 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