Following a top court order in a rape case, Tarun Tejpal surrenders before the Goa court.

As ordered by the Supreme Court, Tarun Tejpal, a renowned former top editor of the equally renowned news magazine Tehelka, turned himself in before the Mapusa court in Goa on Monday in a 2013 rape case.

The 63-year-old former editor was given three weeks by the top court to turn himself in before his appeal against the conviction is heard. Tomorrow is the last day of the three-week deadline.

On August 6, the Bombay High Court’s Goa bench overturned Tejpal’s 2021 acquittal in the case, finding him guilty of raping a former coworker in 2013 and sentencing him to ten years in prison. Tejpal insists that he is a victim.

Tejpal filed a challenge against the Bombay High Court ruling that found him guilty, but the Supreme Court denied it last month. Tejpal had requested an exemption from surrendering, arguing that the Supreme Court should consider his case first. Speaking on Tejpal’s behalf, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal contended that the highest court has the authority to list the criminal appeal even in situations where the accused has not turned themselves in.

Before contesting a conviction order, one must submit in accordance with Supreme Court regulations. Rules provide that a surrender certificate must be presented.

The state of Goa was represented by Solicitor General of India (SGI) Tushar Mehta, who opposed the plea and argued that the exemption claim should be evaluated based on the case’s merits. He argued that Tejpal had been sentenced to ten years of severe imprisonment for an aggravated offence of rape, citing the Bombay High Court’s findings.