Panaji: Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, accused of assaulting a junior colleague, was arrested by Goa Police yesterday after a court here rejected his anticipatory bail application.
Police sources said that Tejpal was taken to the Goa Medical College for a medical examination. He will be questioned today morning before being taken to a judicial magistrate for remand.
Police inspector Sunita Sawant, who is investigating the case, presented the arrest warrant to Tejpal, who had camped at the Crime Branch office from 4.30pm even as his family and friends were in the packed courtroom awaiting the order on the bail plea.
The much-delayed order on Tejpal’s bail plead was pronounced just a shade past 8pm by North Goa District and Sessions judge Anuja Prabhudessai. The order, which allows Tejpal to avail of home food, bedding and clothing during his time in police custody, came nearly three-and-a-half-hours after 4.30pm, when it was initially scheduled to be announced.
Accused by police of dodging them over the last few days, Tejpal’s presence in the Crime Branch office was seen an attempt to avoid being paraded in public from the courtroom to custody, located more than 5km away.
Tejpal, who was called to the Crime Branch earlier in the day, then told reporters he was not required to attend court. “I am not required to attend court. I was required to join the investigation and I have joined the investigation,” he said.
In the court, lawyers from the defence and the prosecution matched their wits against each other over the issue of anticipatory bail to Tejpal. He had been granted anticipatory bail on Friday, a couple of hours before he surfaced at New Delhi’s IGI airport and boarded a flight for Goa.
While the defence was granted four hours to plead, the prosecution bench took only 45 minutes to make their case and eventually won the first battle.
The defence extended its argument made on Friday that Tejpal was fully co-operating with the investigators and that custodial interrogation was not necessary.
Lead defence lawyer Geeta Luthra offered several concessions like Tejpal’s willingness to stay in Goa until police requires, surrender his passport among others. “I have offered that I will stay in Goa until a charge sheet is filed. I can be in Bangalore. I can be wherever this court directs,” Luthra also said on Tejpal’s behalf.
She also assured that till the investigation is on, Tejpal would not visit Mumbai, where the victim resides. Tejpal does not have any criminal record and therefore should be considered for anticipatory bail, she said.
Specially appointed public prosecutor Saresh Lotlikar, however argued that police custody is required to complete the Tejpal end of the probe and get the real story out of him. Lotlikar accused Tejpal of insulting the victim by questioning her integrity adding that she had been “violated by a person who was like a father figure”.
IANS
