No relief for Tarun Tejpal; new law to ensure speedy trial

NEW DELHI: The woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Tarun Tejpal appeared before a magistrate on Wednesday, even as his troubles heightened after he failed to get anticipatory from the Delhi High Court.

With the Goa government determined to use provisions of the new anti-rape law, the case could be decided as early as March. A senior Goa Police official said the authorities planned to file a chargesheet against Tejpal by December-end.

The case against Tejpal, who has been summoned to Goa to appear before the police by 3 pm on Thursday, could become the first high-profile sexual assault case to be tried under the Criminal Law Amendment Bill passed by Parliament after the Nirbhaya gang-rape.

According to the new law, once a chargesheet is filed in a sexual assault case, the trial should be conducted daily and completed in two months. “We will follow the new law till its last word.

A court will hear the case daily,” the police official said. A chargesheet can be expected in December, the official added, as the statement of key witnesses such as the woman’s three colleagues and Tehelka’s Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhary have already been recorded.

The victim’s statement too has been recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC on Wednesday, in line with Section 13 (c) of the new law. A police official said he believed odds were stacked against Tejpal. His main defence of the sexual act being consensual or attempts to raise doubts about the woman’s conduct will fail as the new anti-rape law and changes to the Indian Evidence Act dismiss such contentions.