The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on November 16 adjourned the hearing into a matter related to a rape case against journalist Tarun Tejpal till November 24, after the court was informed that the lawyer representing him was “indisposed”.
Advocate Ankur Chawla, from Mr. Tejpal’s team, informed the court that lawyer Amit Desai, representing the journalist, was “totally indisposed”, following which the Bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and M.S. Jawalkar adjourned the hearing.
Justice Dere, while expressing unhappiness over the last minute submission about Mr. Desai’s health, said such a thing should not be repeated in future.
“You should have informed the court earlier. Certain logistic arrangements are made for hearing of this case,” the Judge said.
The High Court is conducting the hearing in a hybrid mode, as Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and advocate Desai appear through videoconferencing for the case.
“This is unacceptable. We are hearing one matter [Tejpal] and have disposed of the board for the day,” Justice Dere said.
The Solicitor General said he could not object to the postponement, as advocate Desai had expressed “personal difficulty”.
Advocate Chawla apologised before the Bench and assured that such a thing would not be repeated in future.
Goa’s Advocate General Devidas Pangam said the matter was being deliberately delayed by the respondent (Tejpal).
On May 21 this year, a sessions court acquitted Mr. Tejpal, the former editor-in-chief of the Tehelka magazine, in the case where he was accused of sexually assaulting his then colleague in a lift of a five-star hotel in Goa in November 2013 when they were attending an event. Later, the Goa government filed an appeal against it in the High Court.
Mr. Tejpal has challenged the maintainability of the Goa government’s appeal against his acquittal in the case.
