Tarun Tejpal

Tarun Tejpal
Tejpal at la Fureur de lire 2007, Geneva, Switzerland
Born (1963-03-15) 15 March 1963
New Delhi, India
OccupationsJournalist, publisher, novelist, entrepreneur
Known forFounder of Tehelka
SpouseGeetan Batra
Children2
RelativesArjun Mathur (son-in-law)

Tarun Tejpal (born 15 March 1963) is a former Indian journalist, founder editor of Tehelka magazine[1].In August 2026 the Bombay High Court convicted him of rape and related sexual offences against a junior colleague in Goa in 2013 and sentenced him to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment.[2][3][4][5]

Early life

Tejpal's father was in the Indian Army, as a result of which he grew up in many parts of the country. He graduated in economics from Punjab University in Chandigarh. Tejpal married Geetan Batra in 1985. They have two daughters, Tiya and Cara.

Career

In the 1980s he began his career with The Indian Express and later moved to New Delhi to join a now defunct magazine called "India 2000". In 1988, he joined India Today magazine, and then helped revamp The Financial Express in 1994.

From 1994 to 1996, Tejpal hosted a weekly literary show called 'Books and Ideas' on Doordarshan's cultural channel, DD3. The show featured a wide array of authors, historians, novelists, poets, and scholars.

Later he became a founding editor of Outlook, India's second largest newsmagazine publication.

Tejpal co-founded a publishing company, RST IndiaInk, which published Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize winning novel The God of Small Things in 1998.[6][7]

In 2000, Tejpal set up India's first journalistic website, Tehelka. Tejpal in several media interviews declared the primary impulse of Tehelka would be editorial and not commercial, and it would aim to bring back the aggressive public interest journalism of the 1980s which had been misplaced in the fashion, food and cinema excitements of the 1990s. "Tehelka.com" did its first sting operation on India-South Africa cricket match fixing in 2000.[8] A book about the exposé, Fallen Heroes,[9] was published soon after. The Tehelka portal soon came to be known for its sting investigations, mainly for Operation West End (defence deal bribes).[10][11] In 2004, "Tehelka.com" made a switch from online portal to print media when it was relaunched as Tehelka national weekly newspaper in tabloid format, which became a weekly magazine in January 2007.[8] Tehelka's landmark stories include the Gujarat killings, Dr Binayak Sen, police encounters in the north-east, coal and 2G scams, the Ishrat Jahan and Tulsi Prajapati murders, the organising of riots by rump groups, an exposé on Zaheera Sheikh (witness of the Best Bakery case); as well as its persuasive reportage on the oppressed and disadvantaged sections of India – Dalits, tribals, poor and other minorities, victims of buccaneering development.

Tehelka's reporters and writers won every journalistic award – including three years of the Chameli Devi for the best national woman journalist of the year[12] and two IPI (International Press Institute) awards for the best journalism of the year as well as the Sanskriti Journalism Award,[13] Statesman Award for Rural Reporting, Ramnath Goenka Award for Northeast Reporting and multiple South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Awards.

Tejpal created and spearheaded THiNK, a 3-day festival of ideas featuring global frontline thinkers in science, tech, politics, economics and the arts. It was held in Goa for three years from 2011 to 2013.[14] International celebrities who spoke at THiNK included Robert De Niro, V S Naipaul, Garry Kasparov, Erica Jong, James Randi, George Schaller, and Amitabh Bachchan.

Conviction in rape case

In November 2013, during Tehelka’s THiNK festival in Goa, a junior colleague of his publication alleged through her resignation letter that Tejpal sexually assaulted her on 7 and 8 November[14]. In her resignation letter to Shoma Chaudhury, she described the incident as a non-consensual sexual act, without using the word rape. At that time, Goa Police registered a first information report, was arrested and spent 6 months in jail before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in July 2014 [15]. Tejpal initially described the incident as "a lapse of judgement" but later denied the allegations and alleged that the case against him was part of a vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Goa[16][17][18]. On 21 May 2021, a Goa sessions court acquitted him of all charges[19]. However, on 6 August 2026, the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court overturned the 2021 acquittal and convicted him of aggravated rape under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k) of the Indian Penal Code[20][5]. The court applied post-February 2013 definition of rape provisions[21], which is not limited to penile-vaginal intercourse, and treats the offence as aggravated where the accused is in a position of trust or authority, or in a position of control or dominance over the complainant. This led the court to sentence him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, with the sentences to run concurrently[22][23]. Tejpal has appealed to the Supreme Court of India, which has directed him to surrender before hearing his appeal[24].

Literary works

Tejpal's debut novel The Alchemy of Desire (2006), won Le Prix Mille Pages for Best Foreign Literary Fiction. It was published in over 20 languages and went on to sell more than half-a-million copies. The book also gained substantial attention for the rare and powerful praise it garnered from Nobel laureate Sir V S Naipaul, who wrote "at last — a new and brilliantly original novel from India." Khushwant Singh in his review wrote, "The Alchemy of Desire puts Tarun Tejpal in the front rank of Indian novelists. I am inclined to agree with Naipaul: Tejpal has turned out a masterpiece. It is a novel that must be read."[25] Writing of the book, Le Figaro said "This Indian masterpiece is like a voyage down the Ganges, long and infinitely pleasurable; the only thing that worries you is getting to the end too soon."[25]

A foiled assassination bid on Tejpal in 2001, and the arrest of five contract killers became the seed of Tejpal's second literary novel, the critically acclaimed.[26][27] The Story of My Assassins (2010) on which the 2020 web series Paatal Lok Season 1 on Amazon Prime is based.[28][29] The Valley of Masks (2011) was longlisted for Man Asian Literary Prize 2011.[30]

His latest, The Line of Mercy (2022),[31][32][33] is a satirical-philosophical novel about crime, punishment, and the lives of mofussil India. "Tracking the debris of broken lives and screwball dreams, frantic fantasies and desperate schemes, Mercy does what only a handful of books in every age do: reveal the immorality of man-made moralities."[34]

Awards

Reception

Tejpal was criticised with allegations of conflict of interest related to the ownership of Tehelka, because political parties and businesses held shares in the company.[8][40]

In 2013, Tejpal was accused by a female reporter of sexual assault and rape during the THiNK Festival in Goa.[41][42] The trial began only in September 2017.[43][44] On 21 May 2021, Tejpal was acquitted of all charges. Justice Kshama Joshi also noted substantial investigative bias and lacunae by the Investigating Officer in the case.[45] The Goa Bench of Bombay High Court overturned this acquittal on 6 August 2026 and sentenced Tejpal to 10 years in prison.[46]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sriram, Jayant (28 November 2013). "Tejpal career path: From the sub-editorial trenches to the ivory tower and beyond". India Today. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal: Tehelka founder sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape". www.bbc.com. 6 August 2026. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal convicted in rape of junior colleague: What was the 2013 case all about?". Archived from the original on 7 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  4. ↑ France-Press, Agence (6 August 2026). "High-profile Indian journalist jailed for 10 years for raping colleague". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 Varghese, Chinmay Gaikwad & Yohaan (6 August 2026). "Tarun Tejpal sentenced to 10 years in 2013 sexual assault case". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Eminents Authors: Tarun Tejpal".
  7. ↑ Ravi Shankar. "For once Tejpal's words failed him". Live Mint. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 Here's all you need to know about Tehelka's former founder-editor Tarun Tejpal Archived 3 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine, DNA, 5 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Sharda Ugra (16 October 2000). "Book review: 'Fallen Heroes: The Story That Shook The Nation' by Tehelka.com". India Today. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "Who's Who @ Tehelka". Tehelka website. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  11. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal". Businessweek. 1 July 2001. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Tushita Mittal of Tehelka gets Chameli Devi Jain award". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  13. ↑ "Sanskriti Awards for 2011 conferred". Hindustan Times. 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "Full text: Tejpal sexual assault victim's resignation letter". First Post. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal convicted in 2013 rape case: A timeline". The Hindu. 17 February 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "High-profile Indian journalist jailed for 10 years for raping colleague". The Guardian. 6 August 2026. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  17. ↑ Kumar, Niirnimesh (26 November 2013). "Tejpal blames it on BJP". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "He blames BJP for vengeance and victim for being normal". The Indian Express. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Saigal, Sonam (21 May 2021). "Tarun Tejpal acquitted in sexual harassment case". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal: Tehelka founder sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape". www.bbc.com. 6 August 2026. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026. Tejpal's accuser, who cannot be identified under Indian law, said that he sexually assaulted her in a lift during Tehelka's high-profile international conference in Goa in November 2013, an event attended by, among others, Hollywood star Robert De Niro.
  21. ↑ "Rape Laws in India: Evolution, Judicial Interpretations, and Current Challenges • Law Notes by TheLaw.Institute". 13 November 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Bombay High Court Sentences Tarun Tejpal To 10 Years' Rigorous Imprisonment In 2013 Rape Case | 'Parties Must Have Moved On In Their Lives': Bombay HC Sentences Tarun Tejpal To 10 Years' RI In 2013 Rape Case". lawbeat.in. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  23. ↑ Jamkhandikar, Shilpa (6 August 2026). Chopra, Toby (ed.). "India court sentences journalist Tarun Tejpal to 10 years in jail for rape". Reuters. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  24. ↑ G, Ananthakrishnan (25 August 2026). "Supreme Court rejects Tarun Tejpal's plea, asks him to surrender within 2 weeks". The Indian Express. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Pan Macmillan India". www.panmacmillan.co.in. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  26. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: The Story of My Assassins by Tarun J. Tejpal. Melville (Random, dist.), $27.95 (544p) ISBN 978-1-61219-162-1". PublishersWeekly.com. September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  27. ↑ "The Story of My Assassins by Tarun J Tejpal – review". the Guardian. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  28. ↑ "Paatal Lok | Anupama Chopra's Review | Amazon Prime Video | Film Companion - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  29. 1 2 "The Alchemy of Desire - Tarun J Tejpal". www.taruntejpal.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  30. ↑ "About Tarun Tejpal". The Man Asian Literary Award. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  31. ↑ SHUKLA, AVAY (27 March 2022). "The Line of Mercy - Man Is Wolf To Man". www.thecitizen.in. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  32. ↑ "The Line of Mercy has a message: Listen to the underdog". 7 May 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  33. ↑ "Review: The Line of Mercy by Tarun Tejpal". Hindustan Times. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  34. ↑ "'The Line of Mercy': Tarun Tejpal's new novel reveals the immorality of man-made moralities". India Today. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  35. ↑ "Harper Collins". Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  36. ↑ Amelia Gentleman (26 November 2006). "Stars of India". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  37. ↑ "India's 50 Most Powerful People 2009". Business Week. April 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  38. ↑ Jiby Kattakayam (13 January 2011). "Moily: solution to decriminalise defamation under consideration". The Hindu. NEW DELHI. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  39. ↑ "GQ Men of the Year 2011 winners | Tarun Tejpal | MOTY 2011 | Indian authors". GQ India. 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  40. ↑ Tehelka Scandal: All you wanted to know about Tarun Tejpal and his businesses Archived 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine, DNA, 24 Jun 2014.
  41. ↑ "Goa police file FIR against Tarun Tejpal for rape of colleague". Times of India. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  42. ↑ "Tehelka case: Denied bail, Tarun Tejpal arrested by Goa Police : South, News – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  43. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal trial: HC defers cross-examination of victim till February". New Indian Express. IANS. 8 January 2020. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  44. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal verdict: Goa court to pronounce verdict in Tarun Tejpal case on May 19 | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  45. ↑ "Breaking: Journalist Tarun Tejpal Acquitted in 2003 Rape Case". 21 May 2021.
  46. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal: Tehelka founder sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape". www.bbc.com. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
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