"Minimum sentence not justified": Goa AG as govt moves SC seeking maximum sentence for Tejpal

Panaji (Goa) [India], August 19 (ANI): The Goa government has approached the Supreme Court seeking the maximum sentence for former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in a rape case, arguing that the passage of time cannot be a reason for imposing a lesser sentence in such a serious offence, Advocate General Devidas J Pangam said on Wednesday.
He said the government filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court against the quantum of sentence imposed in the case.
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on August 6 convicted Tejpal and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for raping a former colleague, overturning his 2021 acquittal in a decade-old case.
Speaking to ANI, Advocate Pangam said, "Yes, we filed an SLP before the Supreme Court yesterday against the quantum of sentence imposed in this case. We are saying that the imposition of a minimum sentence in this case is not justified. We have pointed out and raised three grounds basically: 1) passage of time cannot be a premium to the accused in this type of serious offences of rape and assault against women; 2) this was not an isolated incident but occurred on the second day also... it looks like there is no remorse in so far as the accused is concerned."
Pangam said the first ground was that the passage of time should not benefit an accused in serious offences such as rape and assault against women.
He further alleged that pressure was created on the victim to give up and said this appeared to be the defence's attempt.
"The victim has been so humiliated in the trial, the questions which are posed to her, which were like character assassination. It looks like the accused did not have any further remorse, even in the trial... A lot of pressure was created on the victim to give up. And that appeared to be the attempt of the defence. These three things we have pointed out to the Supreme Court. We are demanding that the maximum sentence should be imposed in this particular case," he said.
On September 29, 2017, Tejpal was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape, sexual harassment, and wrongful confinement. However, he pleaded not guilty. (ANI)