News East West
MUMBAI: Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, who was arrested by Goa Police on Saturday for alleged sexual assault on his junior woman journalist colleague, was remanded to police custody for six days on Sunday.
Earlier, there were reports that the Goa Police will demand a 14-day remand as the crime branch has yet to get confession from Tejpal.
The 50-year-old journalist spent his first night in lock-up in Panaji after his arrest. He shared the lock-up with three persons – two who are accused of murder and the third who has been described as an anti-social element. The lock-up is in police headquarters.
Tejpal’s arrest came after his application for anticipatory bail was rejected by the district and sessions court on Saturday.
Tejpal’s lawyer had pleaded with the court to stop police from arresting his client as he was in Panaji and cooperating in the investigation. But after lengthy arguments, the court rejected the bail application at 8PM on Saturday.
The judge said in her 25-page order that there is enough material evidence to suggest his involvement in the crime.
The judge said, “The statement of the victim and the documents in the form of emails etc, details of which need not be reproduced here, prima facie indicate that the applicant, who was her mentor and father figure, had not only outraged her modesty but had misused his position, betrayed her trust and violated her body.’’
Tejpal, who reached Panaji accompanied by his family on Friday, appeared before the Goa Police crime branch before the verdict by the court in Panaji.
The alleged rape case came to light when Tejpal `recused’ himself from his job for six months on Wednesday last week after the woman journalist based in Mumbai wrote to Tehelka managing editor Shoma Choudhury about her alleged sexual molestation by Tejpal at Tehelka’s `Thinkfest’ in Panaji on Nov 7-8.
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