Indian Editor Charged With Rape and Sexual Assault

Tarun Tejpal allegedly assaulted female colleague in November

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Indian authorities charged Tarun Tejpal, celebrated editor of the investigative magazine Tehelka, with rape and sexual assault on Monday.

Tejpal allegedly assaulted a female colleague in a five-star hotel resort in Goa in Nov. 2013. He is also accused of trying to resist arrest after the allegations came to light, only being taken into custody on 30 November. If found guilty he could face up to 7 years in prison, reports The Guardian.

Tejpal initially expressed regret over the incident, calling it a “bad lapse of judgment” and “an awful misreading of the situation,” before later claiming the encounter was consensual and brief. However the female colleague who raised the charges claims he assaulted her twice in an elevator at Tehelka’s annual conference for Indian politicians and celebrities.

The allegations have caused shock across swathes of the Indian public, particularly journalists and the English-speaking elite, as Tejpal’s magazine is renowned for publishing crusading investigative stories aimed at forcing Indian society to combat widespread corruption and sexual violence.

[Guardian]