Tarun Tejpal rape case: Goa court frames charges, next date of hearing on Nov 21

A Goa court on Thursday finalised the next date of hearing in a rape case against Tarun Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, on November 21.

Public Prosecutor Francisco Taviera informed that charges were framed and has been explained to Tarun Tejpal. He added that Tejpal has pleaded not guilty to rape charge.

Taviera said that Tejpal has pleaded not guilty to charges under sections 341, 342, 354 A&B, 376 sub section 2, F&K.

Tejpal earlier had challenged the lower court saying the case was ‘false accusation of rape’.

Justice Prithviraj Chavan has offered Tejpal was deferring examination of the first witness to a date after November 1, the day when High Court will hear his appeal.

Tejpal is accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague inside a lift at Hotel Grand Hyatt on November 7, 2013.

Tejpal’s counsel, Aman Lekhi, had argued the fight is ‘asymmetrical’ and made a case that the “state has aligned with the victim”, while the reputation of the accused is being systematically destroyed.

Tejpal counsel also maintained that the case doesn’t stand a fit to trial and Tejpal should be relieved from undergoing ‘trauma of a trial’ as there are no sufficient ground to proceed.

#WATCH: Initial confusion caused as Public Prosecutor Francisco Taviera had mentioned "Tarun Tejpal pleaded guilty to all of them (charges)" pic.twitter.com/hGL1Vn3DrN

— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2017