Goa Government Seeks Retrial In Tarun Tejpal Case, Cites Trial Court's Observations

The appeal, filed before the High Court's Goa bench, was amended this week to bring on record the judgement and to include further grounds against the acquittal of Tarun Tejpal.

The Goa government in its appeal before the Bombay High Court against journalist Tarun Tejpal's acquittal in a rape case said it was a fit case for retrial, citing the trial court's lack of understanding of a survivor's post-trauma behaviour and censuring of her character. The appeal, filed before the High Court's Goa bench, was amended this week to bring on record the judgement and to include further grounds against the acquittal of Tarun Tejpal. The government said the trial court "considered the evidence given by defence witnesses as gospel truth, but at the same time discredited without any finding the evidence given by the victim and the prosecution witnesses". It also claimed that the trial court completely ignored the most telling piece of evidence in the case (the apology e-mail) "which established the guilt of the accused beyond a shadow of a doubt".