Earlier, the verdict was delayed several times over various reasons including the Covid-19 crisis and Cyclone Tauktae.
A Goa court acquitted Tehelka founder and former editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in a rape case on Friday. He was accused of sexually assaulting a colleague at his magazine's event at a five-star resort in Goa in 2013 after which he was arrested on November 30, 2013.
A Mapusa court had charged Tejpal in 2017 for allegedly raping a junior colleague in 2013 after which he challenged the charges in the Supreme Court. The Apex Court had ordered the trial to continue in Goa court. After the verdict, Tarun issued a statement and paid tributes to his lawyer Rajiv Gomes who died at the age of 47 due to Covid-19 last week.
Tejpal also thanked Judge Kshama Joshi for "standing by the truth." He said, "The past seven -an-a-half years have been traumatic for my family as we have dealt with the catastrophic fallout of these false allegations on every aspect of our personal, professional and public lives."
Earlier, the verdict was delayed several times over various reasons including the Covid-19 crisis and Cyclone Tauktae.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.