NEW DELHI: Moments after the Bombay high court convicted former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 rape case, he appealed for a lenient sentence, describing himself as a “political victim” and drawing a comparison with jailed activist Umar Khalid.Addressing the division bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar after the court reversed his 2021 acquittal, Tejpal said he was 62 years old, a father of two and had been unfairly targeted.“I am a political victim,” Tejpal told the court, invoking Umar Khalid while pleading for leniency. He also claimed there was “so much evidence” in his favour that he could be acquitted “ten times.”The high court, however, sentenced Tejpal to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for rape and granted him two weeks’ time to surrender.Senior advocate Aabad Ponda, appearing for Tejpal, urged the court to take a lenient view, citing his client’s age and the fact that the case dates back 13 years.Opposing the plea, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, pressed for the maximum punishment, arguing that the sentence should send a strong deterrent message.“This was not some misunderstanding or some banter,” Mehta told the court.He argued that Tejpal, who was old enough to be in a parental position vis-à-vis the survivor, showed no remorse and allegedly repeated the act the following day despite her resistance.“It is high time the highest constitutional court of the state gives him the maximum sentence. No means No. You may be whosoever you are but when a girl says no it means no. That deterrent message may be considered,” Mehta submitted.The conviction comes 13 years after the alleged assault inside an elevator of a five-star hotel in Goa during a Tehelka event.On Thursday, the Bombay high court overturned the trial court’s 2021 acquittal, found Tejpal guilty of rape and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. The court has allowed him two weeks to surrender.
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