Panaji, September 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before a Goa court on Monday and was subsequently sent to Central Jail at Colvale in North Goa to begin serving his 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in a 2013 rape case.
The development came weeks after the Bombay High Court overturned his acquittal and convicted him of rape and other offences. The Supreme Court had on August 25 directed the 62-year-old journalist to surrender within two weeks, making it clear that his appeal against the conviction would be considered on merits only after he submitted a surrender certificate.
Tejpal surrendered before the Additional Sessions Court at Mapusa, following which he was taken to Colvale Central Jail.
The Supreme Court had directed him to file the surrender certificate on or before September 22. The order was passed by a bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe after hearing senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Goa government.
Sibal had sought exemption from immediate surrender, citing Tejpal’s age and the fact that he had remained on bail for most of the proceedings, apart from the first six months. He also relied on the Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction) Act, 1970.
The Goa government opposed the plea, arguing that Tejpal’s appeal could not be heard unless he surrendered and produced a surrender certificate or secured an exemption from surrender.
After hearing both sides, the Supreme Court directed Tejpal to surrender within the period sought by his counsel. It said that if the surrender certificate was filed by September 22, his appeal would be listed for hearing on merits.
The Goa government has also approached the Supreme Court seeking enhancement of the 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence imposed by the Bombay High Court.
On August 6, a division bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar set aside Tejpal’s acquittal by the sessions court and convicted him under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k) of the IPC for rape, along with Sections 354A and 354B.
The case originated from allegations by a junior colleague that Tejpal sexually assaulted her inside an elevator at a luxury hotel in Goa during an event in November 2013. Goa Police registered an FIR and arrested him in November that year after a local court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. The Supreme Court granted him regular bail in July 2014.
In May 2021, a sessions court acquitted Tejpal, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the case beyond reasonable doubt and pointing to alleged lapses in the investigation. The Goa government subsequently challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court.
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