India ex-editor Tarun Tejpal charged with rape

[Edevelop]

The former editor of a prominent news magazine in India has been charged with the rape of a female colleague.

Tarun Tejpal has also been charged with "sexual harassment" and "outraging the modesty of a woman", Press Trust of India reports.

Mr Tejpal, former editor of Tehelka, has been in prison since 30 November. He denies the charges.

His unnamed accuser has alleged that he assaulted her at an event organised by the magazine in Goa in November.

Legal experts say if found guilty, Mr Tejpal could be sentenced to at least seven years in jail.

Prosecutors filed charges, running to nearly 2,700 pages, in the court of Goa's Chief Judicial Magistrate Anuja Prabhudesai on Monday

More than 152 witnesses, including the victim, the staff of Tehelka magazine and the investigating officer in the case, were questioned before charges were filed.

"It can be concluded that the victim of sexual assault in the present case is a young woman journalist who was raped, sexually harassed and her modesty outraged by Tarun Tejpal; a person whom she trusted as a fatherly figure and respected as a senior colleague," the charges read.

"This incident has caused serious psychological injury to the dignity, self-esteem and overall personality of [the] victim - young woman journalist - who has made a mark for herself in the field of journalism," the charge sheet says.

Dominating headlines
In November, the woman journalist alleged that Mr Tejpal had assaulted her twice in a hotel elevator on 7 and 8 November when the magazine was hosting its annual Think Fest - a conclave attended by leaders, newsmakers and celebrities from around the world.

After the charges became public, Mr Tejpal first apologised for "a bad lapse of judgment, an awful misreading of the situation" and said he was "recusing" himself from his job for six months to "atone" for an "unfortunate incident".

The scandal has dominated headlines in India and provoked protests

Later, he described the sexual encounter as "consensual" and "fleeting" and said the allegations were part of a "pre-election political conspiracy".

Mr Tejpal's accuser rejected his claims.

"By filing my complaint, I have lost not just a job that I loved, but much-needed financial security and the independence of my salary. I have also opened myself to personal and slanderous attack. This will not be an easy battle," she said in November.

Correspondents say the scandal has dominated headlines in India, with critics accusing Tehelka magazine - one of India's top investigative titles, which has exposed gender inequality and officially-sanctioned misogyny - of hypocrisy and double standards.

The case resonates particularly because it comes in the wake of a debate about attitudes to sexual violence after the brutal gang rape and murder of a woman in Delhi in December 2012.

Six journalists at Tehelka, including the publication's managing editor, have resigned over the controversy.

BBC News - India ex-editor Tarun Tejpal charged with rape