Verdict on sexual assault case against Tejpal expected today

Panaji: A verdict on a sexual assault case against former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal from a sessions court in Goa is expected today after eight years of trial. A colleague of Tejpal at Tehelka accused him of sexually assaulting her inside a lift in a five-star hotel in 2013.

The alleged incident was said to have occurred on 7th November 2013 and soon after he was forced to step down as editor of Tehelka, following an FIR against him.

Tejpal was arrested on November 30 in 2013 and had spent nearly eight months in police custody before obtaining bail from the Supreme Court.

On September 29, 2017, the court had charged him with various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. Tarun, however, had denied the allegations.

Last year, the top court had dismissed Tejpal's plea seeking quashing of charges framed against him in the case and directed the trial to be concluded within six months.

Additional sessions judge Shama Joshi is expected to deliver the verdict on Tuesday, concluding a trial held for the last seven years.

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