New Delhi, November 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to suspend the 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence awarded to former Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 rape case, declining to grant him relief while his appeal against conviction is pending.
A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale said a prima facie assessment of the prosecution evidence, including emails and messages placed on record, did not warrant suspension of the sentence.
“[T]he evidence adduced by the prosecution witnesses, read with the materials produced with specific reference to the emails and messages taken on record, we do not, prima facie, find it to be a fit case for suspension of sentence,” the Bench observed.
Appearing for Tejpal, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Siddharth Agarwal argued that the case involved the reversal of an acquittal and that Tejpal had remained on bail throughout the trial without misusing his liberty. Sibal contended that sentences are ordinarily suspended in such cases while appeals are pending.
Opposing the plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Goa government, referred to an apology email Tejpal had sent to the complainant after she raised the issue with the magazine’s then editor.
Tejpal is challenging the Bombay High Court judgment that overturned his acquittal by a sessions court and convicted him under Sections 376(2)(f), 376(2)(k), 354A and 354B of the Indian Penal Code. The High Court sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
The case relates to allegations that Tejpal sexually assaulted a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in Goa during an event in November 2013. A sessions court had acquitted him in May 2021, citing failure by the prosecution to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The Goa government subsequently challenged the acquittal, leading to the High Court’s August 6 judgment. Tejpal surrendered on September 14 after the Supreme Court rejected his plea for exemption from surrender and was taken to Colvale Central Jail in North Goa.
The Supreme Court is also hearing the Goa government’s separate plea seeking enhancement of his sentence.
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