As Tarun Tejpal was convicted and then sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for raping a junior colleague, one of the key pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution was an email the Tehelka Magazine founder and former editor had written to her after the crime.
Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting the woman on November 7 and November 8, 2013, in an elevator at a five-star hotel in Goa during the ‘ThinkFest’ event organised by the magazine. He was acquitted by a trial court in May 2021, but the Goa government appealed against the order in the Bombay High Court, which set aside the acquittal and convicted him.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta referred extensively to an email sent by Tejpal to the survivor after the incidents. Mehta noted that the accused had apologised for his “lapse of judgment”, expressed shame and claimed he believed the encounters had been consensual. This, he argued, amounted to an admission that the incidents had occurred, but Tejpal’s advocate, Abad Ponda, said they referred only to consensual verbal conversations of a sexual nature.
In the email, sent on November 19, 2013, a day after the junior colleague complained to the Tehelka Managing Editor, Tejpal wrote that he had worked with one of her parents and that he had violated a “long-standing relationship of trust and respect” between them.
He also acknowledged that the woman had pointed out that he was her boss, to which he had replied, “That makes it simpler”.
“You are a young woman I have been very proud of, as a colleague’s daughter, and then as a colleague in my own office. I have watched you grow and mature professionally into a journalist of great integrity and promise… It wrenches me beyond describing, therefore, to accept that I have violated that long-standing relationship of trust and respect between us and I apologise unconditionally for the shameful lapse of judgement that led me to attempt a sexual liaison with you on two occasions on 7 November and 8 November 2013, despite your clear reluctance that you did not want such attention from me,” he wrote.
READ | Tarun Tejpal, Ex-Tehelka Editor, Gets 10 Years Jail For Raping Colleague
Addressing allegations that he had misused his position, the Tehelka editor-in-chief continued, “I know you feel I used my position as Editor, Tehelka to force my attention on you, and I acknowledge that I did at one point say to your contention that I was your boss, ‘That makes it simpler’, but I do want to put on record that the moment those words escaped my lips, I retracted them saying, ‘I withdraw that straight away – no relationship of mine has anything at all, ever, to do with that.'”
‘Ashamed Beyond Words’
He, however, acknowledged the power imbalance in the relationship and said he should not have violated her trust.
“I have often spoken for the absolute rights and freedoms of women, and it shames me beyond words to find myself located in this awful context. I would say it was a moment of insanity, except that would mean evading responsibility for it, and that I will not do. I hold myself, first and last, accountable… For long years, you have known a different man, a man and editor you trusted and were proud to know. In extreme contrition, I would like you to know that but for this unconscionable lapse, that man still exists and holds you in highest regard,” Tejpal wrote.
READ | “I’m 62 And I Believe I Am A Victim”: Former Tehelka Editor Tarun Tejpal On Conviction In Rape Case
“If an apology can heal, please consider this an unconditional one,” he signed off.
‘Revenge’
After his sentencing on Thursday, Tejpal said people are after him because of a political vendetta and the work done by Tehelka.
“They are after me with a sentiment of revenge for the last 13 years. I have full faith in the judiciary that there will be judges who will see the truth. We will present the evidence in public. There is so much evidence that I should have been acquitted 10 times over,” he claimed.
