Tarun Tejpal appeals in Supreme Court against 10-year term in 2013 rape case

Tarun Tejpal appeals in Supreme Court against 10-year term in 2013 rape case Tarun Tejpal's appeal comes as the State of Goa, on August 18, 2026, moved the Supreme Court for enhancing his quantum of punishment.

Key points

• Earlier this month, on August 6, 2026, the Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal in a 2013 sexual assault case and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
• His appeal comes as the State of Goa, on Tuesday (August 18, 2026), moved the Supreme Court for enhancing the quantum of the sentence for Tejpal.
• Tarun Tejpal speaks to media after being convicted in the 2013 sexual assault case, on August 6, 2026.

Tarun Tejpal speaks to media after being convicted in the 2013 sexual assault case, on August 6, 2026. Photo Credit: ANI.

Journalist Tarun Tejpal, former editor of Tehelka magazine, on Thursday (August 20, 2026) appealed in the Supreme Court against the August 6, 2026, judgment of the Bombay High Court sentencing him to 10 years imprisonment in a 2013 rape case.

His appeal comes as the State of Goa, on Tuesday (August 18, 2026), moved the Supreme Court for enhancing the quantum of the sentence for Tejpal. According to The State, the sentence was manifestly inadequate but clarified that it did not want to challenge or reopen the findings or conclusions on the merits recorded by the Bombay High Court in a judgment on August 6. Bombay High Court convicts Tarun Tejpal in 2013 sexual assault case.

In practice, the Bombay High Court on Thursday (August 6, 2026) convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal on charges of rape in a 2013 sexual assault case and set aside a sessions court order acquitting him Video Credit: The Hindu.

While Tejpal had pleaded for leniency in the High Court, claiming he was a "political victim" and the father of two daughters, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Goa, demanded the maximum punishment to send a solid message.

Earlier this month, on August 6, 2026, the Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal in a 2013 sexual assault case and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. The Goa Division Bench, consisting of Justice Neela Gokhale and Justice Amit Jamsandekar, set aside the trial court's 2021 judgment that had acquitted Tejpal. Terming the ruling "perverse", the Bench stated that the trial court fell for the notion that a sexual assault complainant must be a "perfect victim" and conduct herself in a certain way to be deemed credible.

For now, tarun Tejpal appeals in Supreme Court against 10 remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.