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2013 Tehelka rape case: SC refuses to suspend Tarun Tejpal's 10-year jail term

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale dismissed the plea to suspend the decade-long sentence after examining messages and email records tied to the case. The decision leaves intact the Bombay High Court's August 6 reversal of the 2021 trial court acquittal. Defense attorneys had argued that technical elevator evidence contradicted the junior colleague's account and alleged that the police failed to secure critical CCTV footage. However, the prosecution successfully pointed to post-incident correspondence, including an apology email sent to the victim, to defeat the suspension application.

Key points

  • The Supreme Court declined to grant bail or sentence suspension following a comprehensive…: The Supreme Court declined to grant bail or sentence suspension following a comprehensive review of the case evidence.
  • Defense arguments regarding missing hotel CCTV footage and inconsistent pre-FIR statement…: Defense arguments regarding missing hotel CCTV footage and inconsistent pre-FIR statements failed to persuade the judicial bench.
  • Prosecution reliance on post-assault messages and an apology email proved critical in kee…: Prosecution reliance on post-assault messages and an apology email proved critical in keeping the high court's conviction enforced.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Tejpal had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay high court's August 6 judgment

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to suspend the 10-year prison sentence of former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, convicted of raping a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in Goa in November 2013.A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale dismissed Tejpal's application after considering the evidence, including his emails and messages. The bench was of the view that no case had been made out for suspending his sentence, according to Live Law.Tejpal had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay high court's August 6 judgment, which overturned his acquittal by a trial court in 2021 and convicted him in the case.What Tejpal arguedSenior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tejpal, questioned the victim's account of the incident, particularly her claim that the elevator doors did not open during the alleged assault.Sibal argued that technical evidence showed the elevator doors opened twice during the two minutes and nine seconds in which the alleged incident took place. He said the hotel manager and Mitsubishi…

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