Tarun Tejpal's police custody extended by four days

Panaji: Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal, accused of sexually assaulting a journalist woman colleague, will remain in custody of Goa Police for four more days.

After expiry of his six-day remand on Saturday, the 50-year-old journalist was produced before a local court, which extended his police custody till December 10. Tejpal, accused of sexually assaulting a junior woman colleague in a hotel here in early November, was arrested by Goa Police on Saturday last.

During arguments before Judicial Magistrate First Class Kshama Joshi, his counsel Sandip Kapoor opposed extension of the remand. He said his client has been thoroughly interrogated by police and relevant materials besides the clothes which he wore on the day of alleged incident have been recovered.

Public Prosecutor Saresh Lotlikar told the court that many witnesses were yet to be examined and hence further custody of Tejpal is required.

The Tehelka founder underwent two rounds of medical tests during his 6-day custody. Three colleagues of the victim-reporter, who has since resigned from the weekly magazine, deposed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate here on Friday.

The victim had confided in them about the alleged sexual assault. The statement of Shoma Chaudhury, former Managing Editor of the magazine to whom the reporter had written about the incident, is also to be recorded by the Magistrate.

Meanwhile, Shoma Chaudhury on saturday recorded her statement before the Chief Judicial Magistrate here in connection with the case of alleged sexual assault of a journalist by the magazine's founder-editor Tarun Tejpal. Shoma's deposition before Chief Judicial Magistrate Anuja Prabhudesai lasted for more than five hours.

She, however, refused to talk to the media outside the court. Shoma's deposition came a day after three colleagues of the scribe, to whom she had confided in after the alleged sexual assault, recorded their statement before the CJM court.