Tarun Tejpal to move SC after Bombay HC conviction in rape case

PANAJI: Thirteen years after the arrest of former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in connection with the alleged rape of a junior colleague in an elevator at a starred hotel in Goa, the Bombay high court on Thursday found him guilty of rape.The state had challenged Tejpal's acquittal by the trial court in 2021.After pronouncing him guilty, senior advocate Aabad Ponda, appearing for Tejpal, told the court that his client is now a 62-year-old senior citizen and that the case is 13 years old. He sought leniency and requested a stay on the high court's order to enable Tejpal to appeal the verdict before the Supreme Court.Addressing the bench, Tejpal said he was a "political victim", adding that he is 62 years old and the father of two daughters.