Tehelka case: Shoma Chaudhury deposes before CJM court

PANAJI: Former Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury today recorded her statement before the Chief Judicial Magistrate here in connection with the case of alleged sexual assault of a journalist by the magazine's founder-editor Tarun Tejpal.

Shoma's deposition before Chief Judicial Magistrate Anuja Prabhudesai lasted for more than five hours.

She, however, refused to talk to the media outside the court.

Shoma's deposition came a day after three colleagues of the scribe, to whom she had confided in after the alleged sexual assault, recorded their statement before the CJM court.

The former Managing Editor was accused by the victim- journalist of "cover up" and "not standing her feminist positions".

In her resignation letter, Shoma had denied the allegations of cover-up and suppression of any kind after the young journalist had sent her an e-mail detailing the alleged sexual assault by Tejpal in a lift of a five-star hotel in Goa on two occasions at the ThinkFest organised by the magazine earlier last month.

Meanwhile, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Kshama Joshi has extended police custody of Tejpal by four days.

Tejpal has already spent six days in the lock-up of Panaji police.

According to Crime Branch sources, Tejpal is yet to be taken to the hotel, where the alleged incident had taken place, as he has been spending most of the time getting medically tested, leaving hardly any time for police to interrogate him.

On his part, Tejpal has been maintaining since his arrest that the act was "consensual" and not forced one as being alleged by the journalist.