Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal surrendered before a Goa court on Monday, September 14, and was subsequently taken to Mapusa Central Jail to begin serving his 10-year sentence in the rape case against him.

The 62-year-old journalist’s surrender followed the Supreme Court’s August 25 decision refusing to exempt him from surrender. The Bombay high court had on August 6 convicted Tejpal and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

Tejpal has challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court, with his appeal scheduled to be heard on September 22. The matter had remained listed pending his surrender.

The rape case dates back to November 2013, when the National Commission for Women took cognisance of media reports concerning allegations made by a former colleague of Tejpal. The Goa police crime branch, which functions as the investigative arm of the state police, was subsequently entrusted with the investigation.

The case has gone through several stages over the past 13 years. In 2021, the Mapusa District and Sessions Court acquitted Tejpal. The Goa bench of the Bombay high court subsequently took up an appeal filed by the state government challenging the acquittal.

The prosecution argued before the high court that the trial court had cast aspersions on the survivor and had failed to properly appreciate post-trauma behaviour. The state’s appeal ultimately resulted in the high court overturning the acquittal and convicting Tejpal in August this year.

With the Supreme Court now set to consider his challenge to the conviction, Tejpal has been lodged at Mapusa Central Jail after surrendering on Monday. The upcoming hearing will determine the next stage of his legal challenge to the high court verdict.