Tarun Tejpal Sentenced to 10 Years in 2013 Sexual Assault Case

The Bombay High Court on Thursday (August 6, 2026) found former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal guilty of rape in a 2013 sexual assault case. The court overturned a lower court’s decision that had acquitted him earlier.

A bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar from the Goa Bench sentenced Tejpal to 10 years in prison and gave him two weeks to surrender.

Tejpal was convicted under sections 376 (2)(f), 354 (a), and 354 (b) of the Indian Penal Code. Under section 376, he faces a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment. The court’s decision came after the Goa government challenged his acquittal in 2021.

Tejpal’s lawyer, Aabad Ponda, argued for the minimum punishment, while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested the maximum punishment to send a strong message that “no means no.”

During the hearing, Tejpal claimed he was a “political victim” and the father of two daughters. The case stems from allegations by a former junior colleague who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a hotel elevator during the ThinkFest event in Goa in November 2013.