Tejpal undergoes fresh tests, Goa Police to summon Shoma

Panaji: Charge sheet is likely to be filed in the sexual assault case against Tehelka magazine editor Tarun Tejpal in next one to one-and-a-half months, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said.

He told reporters that he would ensure that justice is done in the case. "I will ensure that justice would be given to Tejpal. Justice does not mean not to punish him, but fair investigation would be conducted in the matter," Parrikar said spelling out a deadline of one to one-and-a-half months for filing charge sheet against the 50-year-old journalist.

Also read - Court rejects Tejpal's plea for fan in cell

"I have to file charge sheet in the case in month or one and half months. It is direction of the Supreme Court that such cases be fast tracked. I am not doing anything new," the CM said.

The chief minister ruled out any political interference in the probe stating that investigating officer has been given a free hand. "Even before filing the charge-sheet against him, the investigating officer will take their own call depending on the investigations," he said, adding that "the evidence fetched during preliminary investigation points out towards his involvement in the crime."

Parrikar said justice would be given to the victim girl as "she has shown the rarest of courage". The CM said that political colour need not be given to the entire investigations because "the source of the complaint itself is Tejpal."

"Tejpal through his email has admitted to the crime. We were not in picture till he did that. I don't know the girl and even her name. How can one paint the investigation in political colour," the chief minister said. 

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that the chargesheet in the sexual assault case again Tarun Tejpal will be filed in one to one-and-half months.

Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal was today subjected to a second round of medical tests even as Goa Police prepared to issue summons to the magazine's former managing editor Shoma Chaudhury for recording her statement before a magistrate.

Tejpal, arrested for alleged sexual assault and rape of a junior woman colleague, had undergone several medical examinations on Monday, including a potency test, whose result was positive.

"He (Tejpal) has been taken again for further medical examination this morning," a senior police officer said, adding he would be subjected to various medical tests that are required as part of investigation.

Goa Police has issued summons to Chaudhury and three witnesses, in whom the victim had confided about what transpired between her and Tejpal at a five star hotel on two occasions when he allegedly sexually assaulted her, to record their statements before a magistrate.

A team of Goa Police had already recorded Chaudhury's statement in Delhi before she quit as managing editor amid outrage over her attempts at covering up the raging scandal.

Chaudhury's statement is "very crucial" as she was the first person to have come to know of alleged sexual assault on the young journalist by Tejpal.

Any statement or confession recorded by a metropolitan or judicial magistrate under section 164 of CrPC is admissible as evidence in a court.

The crime branch officer said the four would be called after court gives a date for recording their statements.

Meanwhile, Judicial Magistrate Kshama Joshi today rejected Tejpal's application for a fan in the lock up where he is in police custody since Saturday.

On December 2, Tejpal's lawyer had petitioned the court for a fan to be installed in the lock up on humanitarian ground.

A woman journalist of Tehelka, who later resigned, has accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her twice on November 7 and 8 in Goa. Tejpal has been booked under Sections 354A (outraging the modesty of a woman) and 376 (2)(K) (custodial rape) of IPC.