Sexual assault case: Tarun Tejpal counsel claims complainant not ‘sterling witness’, points to ‘contradictions’

3 min readMumbaiJul 16, 2026 10:32 PM IST

A journalist had complained that Tejpal sexually assaulted her in the hotel elevator on November 7, 2013, and November 8, 2013. (File image)

While opposing the state’s plea challenging his acquittal, Tarun Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of Tehelka, who was accused of sexually assaulting his then colleague in a Goa hotel in 2013, told the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Thursday that the complainant’s testimony was not of a “sterling witness”, claiming that there were contradictions in her testimony.

A journalist had complained that Tejpal sexually assaulted her in the hotel elevator on November 7, 2013, and November 8, 2013. In 2021, a sessions court in Goa acquitted Tejpal of all charges, observing that the complainant “did not demonstrate any kind of normative behaviour” that a victim of sexual assault “might plausibly show”. The Goa government had subsequently filed an appeal in the High Court of Bombay at Goa, challenging the acquittal, and arguments in the case are ongoing.

Relying on the CCTV footage played in the court, Aabad Ponda, the counsel for Tejpal, told the High Court that there were contradictions in the testimony of the complainant during the trial regarding the circumstances and sequence of events in the lift of the hotel on the day of the alleged incident.

‘Contradictions’

“Cameras don’t judge events; they record facts. The empirical evidence will show contradictions. It is her case that she came out of the lift first. [In the footage], it is seen that she is not ahead of him. Evidence shows the accused went out of the lift first with a hat on. She is not a sterling witness… [She] has gone on changing her version,” he said.

Ponda further claimed that the complainant’s allegation that the accused kept pressing buttons in the lift so that it remained in circuit was established to be incorrect from the testimony of lift experts and security officials of the hotel. “[These lifts] are not designed to trap you,” he told the court.

He argued that when the lift is stuck, an audio message automatically plays, asking those trapped to remain calm and not panic, after which the lift goes to the nearest landing floor and the doors open. “If the red button is pressed, the lift will automatically go to the nearest landing floor. It is nowhere her case that there was an emergency sound,” he said.

Ponda said the footage shows that the doors of the lift opened twice, while the complainant claimed that the doors did not open. He claimed there was a contradiction in her statement as to which floor of the hotel she and Tejpal alighted from the lift, adding that the CCTV footage depicts not only the difference in floors, but also creates a doubt about the incident.

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Pavneet Singh Chadha is the Goa Correspondent of The Indian Express. His reporting focuses intensely on the state of Goa, covering major developments in politics, governance, and significant local events, which establishes his high degree of Expertise and Authority in the region.

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Geographic Expertise: As the Goa correspondent, Pavneet provides on-the-ground, comprehensive coverage of Goa's political, social, and cultural landscape, ensuring readers receive timely and localized insights.

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Policy and Governance: Reporting on the judiciary (e.g., Goa High Court flagging illegal structures) and the actions of government departments.

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