‘Self-appointed protector’: BJP questions Cong’s silence on Tejpal rape conviction

NEW
DELHI:
Bha atiya
Ja ata
Pa ty
o
Mo day
questio ed
Co g ess’
sile ce
ove
the
ece t
co victio
of
fo me
Tehelka
edito -i -chief
Ta u
Tejpal
i
a
2013
sexual
assault
case.I
a
p ess
co fe e ce,
BJP
MP
Sudha shu
T ivedi
accused
Co g ess
a d
othe
oppositio
pa ties
of
havi g
a
“o e-dime sio al,
o e-sided
a d
p ejudiced”
thi ki g
o
issues
like
f eedom
of
exp essio
o
the
pe secutio
of
wome .”Just
ece tly,
Ta u
Tejpal,
the
edito -i -chief
of
the
co t ove sial
magazi e
Tehelka,
was
fou d
guilty
by
the
Goa
Be ch
of
the
Bombay
High
Cou t
i
a
2013
ape
case
a d
se te ced
to
10
yea s
of
igo ous
imp iso me t.
This
matte
is
impo ta t
today
because,
eve
afte
so
ma y
days
have
passed,
ot
a
si gle
wo d
has
bee
hea d
f om
the
Co g ess
side,”
T ivedi
said.”No
f om
a y
oppositio
pa ty,
o
f om
a y
i stitutio
that
p oclaims
itself
the
self-appoi ted
p otecto
of
wome ‘s
i te ests.
This
shows
how
o e-dime sio al,
o e-sided,
a d
p ejudiced
the
thi ki g
is
o
issues
like
f eedom
of
exp essio
o
the
pe secutio
of
wome ,”
he
added.

Du i g
the
p ess
co fe e ce,
the
BJP
leade
also
alleged
that
Tejpal
had
a
co ectio
with
Co g ess
leade ship,
claimi g
that
So ia
Ga dhi
w ote
a
lette
to
the
fi a ce
mi iste
P
Chidamba am
di ecti g
him
ot
to
ha ass
the
magazi e.
He
also
said
that
UPA
gove me t
awa ded
Tejpal
the
Excelle ce
i
Jou alism
Awa d
i
2010.”This
is
the
ve y
busi ess
house
that
had
co ducted
a
biza e
ki d
of
sti g
ope atio .
Whe
Atal
Ji’s
gove me t
co stituted
a
i qui y
commissio
u de
the
chai ma ship
of
Justice
Phuka ,
it
was
a
oppo tu ity
whe
the
sti g-ope ati g
g oup
efused
to
ha d
ove
the
e ti e
tapes
fo
ve ificatio .
The e
could ‘t
be
mo e
suspicio
tha
this.
A d
whe
the
i qui y
epo t
came,
by
the
the
gove me t
had
cha ged,
a d
the
Co g ess
gove me t
eve
eve
tabled
that
i qui y
epo t
o
the
floo
of
the
House,”
he
said.”Whe
the
BJP
gove me t
aised
the
issue,
a
41-page
summa y
epo t
was
tabled
o
the
floo
of
the
House.
A d
today,
whe
the
culp its
have
bee
p ove
guilty,
I
wa t
to
emi d
eve yo e
that
thei
co ectio
is
with
Co g ess…
Du i g
the
UPA
e a,
Sup eme
Leade
So ia
Ga dhi
ji
w ote
a
lette
to
the
the
fi a ce
mi iste
P
Chidamba am
sahib
o
Septembe
25–27,
2004,
stati g
that
the e
should
be
o
ha assme t
of
Tehelka
a d
its
fi a cie
i
a y
ma e .
Positive
t eatme t
should
be
acco ded
to
them.
Today,
I
wa t
to
ask
the
Co g ess:
Was
you
gove me t
e gagi g
i
u fai
t eatme t
at
that
time?
I
2010,
the
the
law
mi iste
Vee appa
Moily
sahib
awa ded
him
the
Excelle ce
i
Jou alism
Awa d.
Today,
this
is
thei
situatio ,
a d
ot
a
si gle
wo d
is
comi g
out
of
you
mouth,”
he
added.This
comes
afte
Bombay
high
cou t
fou d
Tejpal
guilty
of
ape
a d
se te ced
him
to
10
yea s’
igo ous
imp iso me t.
The
se te ce
was
p o ou ced
i
the
state’s
challe ge
to
Tejpal’s
acquittal
by
the
t ial
cou t
i
2021.

This
comes
13
yea s
afte
Ta u
Tejpal
was
a ested
i
Novembe
2013
followi g
allegatio s
that
he
had
sexually
assaulted
a
ju io
colleague
i side
a
hotel
elevato
du i g
a
eve t
o ga ised
by
Tehelka
magazi e
i
Goa.The
sessio s
cou t
at
Mapusa
acquitted
him
i
May
2021,
p ompti g
Goa
gove me t
to
challe ge
the
ve dict
befo e
the
HC.The
high
cou t
te med
the
t ial
cou t’s
ve dict
as
“pe ve se”,
oti g
that
it
fell
fo
the
otio
that
a
sexual
assault
complai a t
must
be
a
“pe fect
victim”
a d
co duct
he self
i
a
ce tai
way
so
as
to
appea
c edible.The
cou t
asked
Tejpal
to
su e de
withi
two
weeks
but
late
exte ded
the
pe iod
to
fou
weeks
at
the
equest
of
his
lawye s.
The
jou alist
has
claimed
that
he
was
a
political
victim
a d
would
app oach
the
Sup eme
Cou t
to
challe ge
his
co victio .