Let us pose for a pic: Tarun Tejpal cites Robert De Niro episode in sex assault case
Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal told the Bombay High Court on Friday that the complainant in the 2013 sexual assault case had a "propensity to lie"
Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal told the Bombay High Court on Friday that the complainant in the 2013 sexual assault case had a "propensity to lie" and her repeated response of "amnesia" and "trauma" to crucial questions laid bare inconsistencies in her testimony. Senior advocate Aabad Ponda, appearing for Tarun Tejpal in the case, argued that the survivor's conduct following the alleged incident contradicted her claims of being in a state of trauma or shock. Read Full Story The woman has alleged that Tejpal sexually assaulted her in the elevator of a five-star resort in Goa during Tehelka magazine's annual Thinkfest event in November 2013. In 2021, a sessions court acquitted Tejpal of all charges. The Goa government subsequently challenged the acquittal before the Goa bench of the High Court. 'AMNESIA, TRAUMA ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION' On Friday, the second day of the hearing, Tejpal's lawyer said the woman sought to sensationalise the case. "Amnesia and trauma are her answers to every piercing question...
please see her answers," Tejpal's lawyer said. He also placed WhatsApp texts between the survivor and her friends before the court, arguing that they contradicted her claim that she was distressed after the incident. In one of the messages, the lawyer said, the woman stated that she wanted to create a "reign of sexual terror". "It means sexual terror of a person of the opposite sex. She comes with that mindset," the lawyer said. "Is this the conduct of a woman? A woman will go straight to the police (after the incident)," Ponda further said. A major part of the defence's argument revolved around the complainant's behaviour after the alleged assault. Tejpal's lawyer pointed out that the woman continued to participate in events and social gatherings after the alleged incident on November 7, 2013. In one incident, the woman texted Tejpal and asked him to join her for a photograph with famous Hollywood actor Robert De Niro, whom she was chaperoning at the event.
De Niro was participating in the Thinkfest event. Tejpal's lawyer argued that the complainant herself admitted during cross-examination that her assignment with De Niro was not exclusive and could have been handed over to another colleague. "Why should she contact me (Tejpal) through messages? And why should she say 'Tarun, come here. Let us pose for a photo with De Niro'," the lawyer said. Ponda argued that it countered the prosecution's claim that she was "fearful" of Tejpal and was trying to avoid him. DEFENCE CHALLENGES LIFT THEORY Tejpal's lawyer also challenged the prosecution's narrative of the alleged assault inside the lift of the resort. Citing the testimony of an expert and CCTV records, Ponda argued that the survivor's allegation that Tejpal kept the elevator moving by pressing buttons to keep it in a "continuous loop", which prevented the doors from opening, was mechanically impossible. "The expert further verified that even if a passenger continuously presses the 'close-door' button, once the lift reaches a floor, the doors will automatically open to the fullest," the senior advocate said.
The BriefWire