On September 25, the Supreme Court bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale issued a notice to the Goa government after hearing Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who represents former Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal. The notice follows Tejpal's appeal against the Bombay High Court's 10‑year prison ruling in a 2013 rape case. Sibal highlighted that the High Court had overturned Tejpal's earlier acquittal and that the defendant had already surrendered in compliance with the Supreme Court's directives.
The appeal will be argued by Sibal and Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, while Goa has filed a counter‑petition seeking to extend the sentence to life imprisonment. The court will decide on a hearing date for Tejpal's request to suspend the conviction. If the court allows the suspension, the 10‑year term could be stayed pending further proceedings.
The 2013 incident involved an alleged rape in a hotel elevator during a Tehelka event in Goa, a case that saw the accused acquitted in 2021 and later convicted by the Bombay High Court. The Supreme Court has already ordered Tejpal to surrender, and he was remanded to Central Jail at Colvale after surrendering at the Add. Sessions Court in Mapusa. The case has become a flashpoint for debates over sexual assault jurisprudence in the country.
Civil society groups in Goa have called for transparent handling of the case, arguing that the victim—an unnamed junior employee—has endured prolonged uncertainty. The Supreme Court's next hearing is scheduled for a date yet to be fixed, with the court expected to rule on the suspension request and the Goa government's appeal within the coming weeks.