Goa Seeks Life Sentence for Tarun Tejpal in Supreme Court

The Goa government filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking a life sentence for journalist Tarun Tejpal, arguing that the 10-year prison term imposed by the Bombay High Court last week is inadequate for the 2013 sexual assault of a junior colleague. The appeal intensifies the legal battle surrounding one of India's most closely watched cases involving a media figure and sexual violence.

On August 6, a bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar of the Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine exceeding 10 lakh rupees. The ruling overturned the trial court's 2021 acquittal, which the High Court described as "criminal" in its 81-page judgment.

In its petition to the Supreme Court, the Goa government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that the sentence is "grossly disproportionate to the nature and gravity of the offences" and that the case warrants imprisonment for life. The state's plea is confined to the quantum of sentence and the High Court's direction that the sentences for two separate...