Tarun Tejpal should have surrendered before moving SC against conviction: Goa government

New Delhi: The Goa government on Monday argued before the Supreme Court that former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal, convicted in a rape case, should have surrendered before filing an appeal challenging his conviction in the top court.

Highlighting the "seriousness of the matter", Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the Goa government, submitted that "existence of the appeal is dependent on either filing a certificate that he has surrendered or, alternatively, he will have to pray to Your Lordships to allow an exemption from surrendering. These are the two options". Tejpal's appeal was listed before Justice Alok Aradhe.

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Appearing on behalf of Tejpal, senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that there was no need to surrender yet since the High Court itself had granted Tejpal time to surrender.

Convicting Tejpal in a rape case on August 6, the Bombay High Court had granted him four weeks to surrender before the jail authorities, although it rejected his plea to stay the conviction. Going by this timeline, Tejpal has time until the first week of September to surrender.

Sibal today maintained that until then, Tejpal need not surrender. He urged Justice Aradhe to list Tejpal's appeal, filed on August 20, for hearing on August 31. Sibal added that no harm will be caused to anyone if Tejpal's appeal is listed on August 31. After hearing both sides, Justice Aradhe said he would pass an appropriate order in the matter.

The case against Tejpal involves allegations that he sexually assaulted a colleague twice in 2013 in Goa.