Tehelka case: Goa police slaps additional charges on Tarun Tejpal

PANAJI: In what can spell further trouble for Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal, accused of sexually assaulting a woman colleague, the Goa Crime branch has pressed additional charges against him.

A senior crime branch official said that the first information report filed against Tejpal now has additional two sections of Indian Penal Code - 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement).

The officials interrogating Tejpal said that additional sections were invoked after statements of the victim, witnesses and going through the CCTV footage of the hotel where the alleged incident took place.

Tejpal, who is currently in police custody, is already booked under section 354-A (sexual harassment, physical contact, advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures, or any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature), 376 (rape) and 376(2)(k) (rape by a person of a woman in his custody taking advantage of his official position) of IPC.

Tejpal's police custody was yesterday extended by four days till December 10 in connection with the case.

Tejpal, accused of sexually assaulting a junior woman colleague in a hotel here in early November, was arrested by Goa Police on November 30.

Shoma Chaudhary, the former Managing Editor of the weekly magazine, yesterday recorded her statement before the Chief Judicial Magistrate here in connection with the case.