Goa court frames charges against Tarun Tejpal

Agencies
September 28, 2017

Panaji, Sept 28: A Goa court today framed charges of rape and wrongful confinement against Tarun Tejpal, the founder of Tehelka magazine, in connection with an alleged rape case filed against him in 2013, paving the way for his trial.

Tejpal, 54, pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The next hearing in the case in the district court has been fixed on November 21.

Additional district sessions judge in Mapusa, Vijaya Pol, framed charges against Tejpal under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 354 A (sexual harassment) and B (criminal assault with intent to disrobe a woman), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement), public prosecutor Fransisco Tavora told reporters. 

Tejpal faces a minimum 10-year jail term if he is found guilty of rape.

"The judge will now try Tejpal under these sections," he said.

Advocate Rajiv Gomes, representing Tejpal, had pleaded before the Mapusa court in Goa to put the trial on hold as a petition challenging the framing of charges is already pending before the Bombay High Court at Goa.

Tejpal was also represented by advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey.

The judge rejected the plea and allowed the framing of charges against Tejpal.
"The charges were framed to be ordered against Tejpal during the last hearing. 

Today the charges were explained to him and he has pleaded not guilty," Gomes said,

"The trial has been deferred by the high court, which has issued a notice to the state government, and the case would be heard on November 1," he said.

"We had contended that even explanation of the charges (to Tejpal) should be deferred because we are confident that we will get discharge from the high court. 

We know that there is no case in the prosecution," Gomes added.

He said that the trial in the matter is not going to start before the disposal of the case filed in the high court.

Earlier this week, the Bombay High Court at Goa had refused to stay the framing of charges against him, while issuing notice to the state government.

The high court had, however, restrained the district court from examining the evidence in this case.

The former Tehelka editor is alleged to have sexually assaulted a former colleague inside the elevator of a five- star hotel in Goa in 2013.

He had been arrested on November 30, 2013 by the Crime Branch after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the court. He has been out on bail since May 2014. 

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News Network
May 24,2020

Bengaluru, May 24:The first 'Sunday curfew' imposed by the Karnataka government to try and contain the spread of COVID-19 got underway in the state today, with people by and large adhering to norms, roads wearing a deserted look and almost no vehicular traffic, barring essential services.

With barricades being up across most roads in the state, people ventured out only to purchase groceries, vegetabes and medicines.

Instances of violation of Sunday curfew lockdown norms were reported in COVID-19 hotspots of Shivajinagar and Rayapura in Bengaluru and Nelamangala and Devanahalli.

Temples, malls, bars, eateries and small food joints remained shut throughout state.

In most parts of the state buses, autorickshaws and cabs did not ply.

In Bengaluru, the ever bustling Majestic area, which houses the central city bus stand, inter-city bus stand, Metro Railway Station and the City Railway Station, did not see any activity as buses did not ply and all shops were shut, police said.

Reports from Mysuru, Tumakuru, Kolar, Mangaluru, Udupi and other towns across the state said there were no lockdown violations.

Amid the rigid curfew marriages were conducted in a simple manner in various parts of the state like Gollarahatti and Yashwanthapura in Bengaluru and also in Davangere.

Families of the brides and grooms invited only a few people for the event, adhered to social distancing norms and wore masks.

In Gollarahatti, the event organisers cleaned the road, after which the invitees, who were hardly 25 to 30 in number, sat down to have a feast.

The Karnataka government had eased restrictions during Lockdown 4 for start of economic activities like city buses, inter-district bus service, intrastate train services, opening of shops and markets.

However, the government had made it clear that there will be 'Janata Curfew' every Sunday during which only essential services would be permitted.

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News Network
January 16,2020

Mysuru, Jan 16: A day after the Mysuru Advocates’ Association refused to defend a student in Mysuru who has been charged with sedition case for displaying a ‘Free Kashmir’ placard, president of the People’s Lawyers’ Guild of Davangere, has come forward to appear in the Court on behalf of her.

Opposing the attack on JNU students and teachers at JNU recently, Nalini had displayed a ‘Free Kashmir’ placard during a protest on January 8 at Manasagangotri of the University of Mysore (UoM) campus here.

Members of the Mysuru Bar Association decided not to represent Nalini.

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News Network
May 6,2020

Mysuru, May 6: A seven-months pregnant woman fled Covid-19 hotspot Mumbai along with her family, and made it to her village 1000 km away in KR Pet taluka in Mandya district of Karnataka, flashing her mother's ID card at each checkpost. After reaching her destination, she got herself tested for Covid-19.

She tested positive for the virus on Monday in Mandya.

The 20-year-old woman (assigned the number P637) had been living with her husband and in-laws at Santa Cruz East, Agripada in Mumbai for the past three years. To get out of the containment zone, they started out from Mumbai at 7.30 pm on April 23 -- she, her husband, brother-in-law, co-sister and their children, and a 19-year-old girl. She made it past checkposts at Belagavi, Hubballi, Davanagere, Kadur, Arasikere, Channarayapatna and Shravanabelagola and reached her village Jaaginakere at 3 pm on April 24.

She stayed at her home in the village from 24 April to April 29. With the Mandya district administration testing people on a campaign mode in the entire district, she and her family got themselves tested on May 1.

Her test returned positive on May 4, according to deputy commissioner M V Venkatesh.

Along with her, the 19-year-old girl (P638) who travelled with the family also tested positive. The girl is in the sixth semester of her BE Electronics course at an engineering college in Mumbai.

This is not the first case of a corona fugitive from Mumbai. Earlier, a 50-year-old man who ran a hotel in Mumbai travelled in a vehicle carrying dates and reached Channarayapatna in Hassan district.

In fact there have been three such incidents, including that of seven people coming to Mandya from Mumbai transporting a dead man's body for cremation in his native village of B Kodagalli in Pandavapura taluk.

Mandya deputy commissioner Dr Venkatesh has appealed to natives of Mandya who are stuck in Mumbai to stay there till the Covid situation comes to control.

So far 28 people in Mandya diatrict have tested positive for Covid 19. Seven people have been discharged. Currently there are 21 active cases being treated at the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences.

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