India: CFWIJ Is Appalled By The Acquittal Of Rape Accused Tarun Tejpal, Stands In Solidarity With The Rape-survivor Woman Journalist

Location: India
Date: May 24, 2021

Rape accused journalist Tarun Tejpal was acquitted of rape and assault charges by the Indian court on May 21. Tarun was charged with rape and assault crime against a staff reporter during a conference in Goa in 2013. The trial was initiated in 2017 and Tarun Tejpal was booked with charges of sexual harassment, rape, and wrongful restraint.

After a few days into the assault, the rape victim whose identity is kept hidden sent an email with all the details about the incident to the managing editor of Tehelka magazine, Shoma Chaudhary. The rape victim shared the horrible details that how Tarun Tejpal assaulted and raped her. It was reported that the rape accused sent an apology email to the victim about his behaviour. The rape-survivor woman journalist who was examined for a month shared her traumatic experience in a statement in November 2013. CFWIJ stands in solidarity with an unnamed woman journalist and highly condemns the acquittal of Tarun Tejpal in the horrific crime. We demand that the brave woman journalist must be provided justice at the very least. 

The rape-survivor women journalist whose identity is being kept secret under Indian law shared the traumatic details of her assault in November 2013. She said, “It is not the victim that categorizes the crime but the law. And in this case, the law is clear that what Mr Tejpal did to me falls within the legal definition of rape. Now we have a new law that has a broader definition of rape so we should stand by for what we have fought. We have spoken time and again that how rape is not about sex or lust, but about power, privilege, and entitlement. Thus the new law should be applicable for everyone, whether someone is wealthy, powerful, and well connected and not just for a faceless stranger.

She further shared in her November 2013 statement that, unlike Mr Tejpal, she is not a person of immense means. She was raised single-handedly on a single income by her mother. Her father’s health was fragile for many years. Unlike Tarun Tejpal who was fighting t protect his wealth, the rape-survivor was fighting for her integrity and her right to assert that her body belongs to her and was not a plaything for her employer. “ By filing this complaint, I have lost the job that I loved and so the much-needed financial security. I have also opened myself to personal and slanderous attacks and this will not be an easy battle” she further said in the statement.

Tarun Tejpal had resigned from the post of Tehelka’s editor after rape allegations were brought to light. He was arrested as Goa police took suo moto notice and charged him. The accused spent six months in jail before he was released on bail in 2014. His acquittal is now being seen as a blow to India’s #MeToo movement.

Women rights activist Kavita Krishnan shared the news of Tejpal's acquittal in a tweet and condemned the decision. She emphasized the fact that how the rape-survivor was was yanked around by the police, courts, repeatedly to Goa, and the hell of systematic slander campaigns against her by Tarun Tejpal and his friends.

Initial thoughts on the #Tejpal acquittal: #thread
The judicial system lets down another woman. No wonder women do not want to file a complaint with the police. https://t.co/mnVjo5DFZz

— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) May 21, 2021

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by the decision of the Indian court. A rape accused who himself admitted his crime is not free. CFWIJ stands in solidarity with the rape-survivor women journalist who put in a good fight but was failed by the system. We demand Indian judicial authorities look into this decision and the consequences of its public perception. We hope that the brave women journalist must be provided fair judgment by courts after the undeniable agony that she has suffered.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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