The Supreme Court on Friday issued two notices on Tarun Tejpal’s sentencing in a 2013 rape case — one to Goa Police on the journalist’s petition against his 10-year prison term and the second to him on a Goa government plea seeking enhancement of the sentence.
High Court Criticizes Trial Court’s Treatment of Sexual Assault Victim
The high court has condemned the trial court’s 2021 ruling as “perverse,” highlighting a flawed expectation that sexual assault victims must be “perfect” and behave in a specific manner to be deemed credible. The judgment, spanning 81 pages, criticized the defense’s approach during cross-examination, which subjected the victim to humiliation by probing into her personal life. The high court expressed astonishment that the trial court did not intervene to protect the victim from harassment during this process.
Supreme Court to Hear Tejpal’s Bail Plea After Acquittal Reversal
The Supreme Court is set to schedule a hearing for Tarun Tejpal’s bail plea following the reversal of his acquittal by the Bombay High Court. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Tejpal, argued before Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale that his client has surrendered and emphasized the right to appeal in this case.
Sibal noted, “This is a case of reversal, there is a right of appeal, I have surrendered. The High Court itself has suspended the sentence for four weeks.”
Previously, on August 25, the Supreme Court ordered Tejpal to surrender within three weeks to serve a 10-year prison sentence and denied his request for exemption from surrendering.
