Panaji, Aug 6: The Bombay High Court on Thursday convicted and sentenced to ten years in jail former journalist Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 rape case, terming the trial court’s 2021 verdict of acquittal as “perverse” and slamming it for falling prey to the notion that the complainant in such cases should be a “perfect victim” and conduct herself in a certain way to appear credible.

Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka, was convicted of raping a junior colleague inside a hotel elevator in 2013 during an event organized by the magazine in Goa. The 62-year-old journalist said he would approach the Supreme Court next week to challenge the conviction.

A bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar, while handing down the minimum sentence of ten years’ rigorous imprisonment, noted that the incident had taken place 13 years ago and Tejpal had not committed any other criminal offence.

“Both parties (the victim and Tejpal) may have moved on in life,” the court said.

The High Court initially asked Tejpal to surrender within two weeks, but later extended the period to four weeks on request from his lawyers.

While Tejpal pleaded for leniency, claiming he was a “political victim” and the father of two daughters, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, demanded the maximum punishment to send a strong message that “no means no”.

Tejpal was convicted under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Section 376(2)(f) (rape committed by a person in a position of trust or authority), Section 354(a) (sexual harassment), and Section 354(b) (assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe).

Under Section 376(2)(f), the maximum punishment is life imprisonment.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,21,000 on Tejpal, and stated that the “victim having suffered sexual assault would be handed over the entire fine amount.”

In its 81-page judgement, the HC expressed strong disapproval about the way the defence put the victim in the dock and focused on her personal life, and said it found it surprising that the trial court “remained silent and allowed the defence to harass and humiliate her during the cross examination”.

The prosecution had established its case “beyond every reasonable doubt” and the victim too had stood firm in her testimony, and hence it had no hesitation in believing her statement which was reliable and consistent, the HC said.

The trial court at Mapusa proceeded with the notion that a sexual assault victim must behave in a stereotypical manner, and the victim in the present case had to be a “perfect victim”, the HC said.

“The ‘perfect victim’ concept, more formally known as an ‘ideal victim’, described an unspoken cultural archetype where a person is fully believed, sympathised with and granted legitimacy only if they exhibit absolute vulnerability, complete innocence and total passivity,” the High Court said.

When a survivor does not fit into this mould, then their trauma is devalued, it added.

During the hearing on sentencing, Tejpal addressed the court in person to request leniency. “I am 62 years old today. I am a father of two daughters. I have a wife. I am a political victim. My lawyers have also asked me to urge the court to show leniency,” he said.

The high court, in its judgement, also noted that every person deals with trauma differently, and neither the court nor the accused could decide how the victim should have reacted or processed her trauma following the sexual assault.

Tejpal was then the editor-in-chief and owner of Tehelka while the victim was a principal correspondent with the magazine, and hence undoubtedly “Tejpal was in a position of control and dominance over her”, the HC held.

The bench also admonished the defence for highlighting her way of life so as to declare her a “promiscuous woman and a libertine”.

“She is equally entitled to protection of law. Her evidence cannot be thrown overboard merely because she is alleged to be a woman of easy virtue,” the HC said.

No inference can be drawn that a woman alleged to be of loose moral character can be raped by a person for that reason, the court said, adding “Every woman has a right to refuse to submit herself to sexual intercourse with anyone.”

Tejpal’s lawyers Aabad Ponda and Subash Jadhav requested the minimum prescribed punishment, noting that Tejpal had not violated any of his bail conditions.

Solicitor General Mehta, on the other hand, argued for the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. “The convict was in a position of dominance over the victim. The victim was not just a colleague but also a friend of his daughter. The convict has shown no remorse,” Mehta said.

The bench sentenced Tejpal to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 376 (2)(f), one year’s imprisonment under Section 354(a) and three years’ jail term under Section 354(b). All sentences would run concurrently, it said.

New Delhi, Aug 6: Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 that authorises the government to permit banks and other service providers to levy charges on payments through unified payments interface (UPI) and other notified electronic payment modes.

The amendment passed by the House without discussion amid din seeks to remove the existing legal provision that prevents banks and payment service providers from charging Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on notified electronic payment modes.

Real-time payments made through RTGS and NEFT are done by paying a service charge. However, UPI transactions have been exempted from such charges so far.

The proposed changes in Payment and Settlement Systems Act is a part of comprehensive legislation on taxation, which was introduced in the House on Tuesday.

The Bill was passed through voice vote in the Lok Sabha after the House resumed at 2 pm after the earlier adjournment.

As soon as the House re-assembled, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 further to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 and the Income Tax Act, 2025, and to amend the Finance Act, 2026, to be taken into consideration.

The government’s approach aims to levy small charge on digital payment services for consumers and small businesses while ensuring a sustainable revenue model for banks, payment service providers (PSPs), and payment infrastructure firms that drive the digital payments ecosystem.

“In the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, in Section 10A, for the words, figures and letters ‘the electronic modes of payment prescribed under section 269SU of the Income-tax Act, 1961’, the words ‘one or more electronic modes of payment as the central government may, by notification, specify’ shall be substituted with effect from the date of publication of this Act in the Official Gazette,” the Bill said.

Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 prohibits banks and system providers from imposing any charges on electronic payments while Section 269SU of the Income Tax Act requires large businesses with a turnover exceeding Rs 50 crore to accept payments through specific electronic modes, including RuPay debit cards and BHIM-UPI QR codes.

As on date, no bank or payment system provider could impose any charge upon anyone, either directly or indirectly, for using the electronic modes of payment prescribed under Section 269SU of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Speaking on the issue RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Wednesday said it is “premature” to talk about MDR on payment through digital means.

Investment in public infrastructure like payments is necessary, he said, reiterating that someone will have to pay for it.

“The choices before us are simple: either the general public has to pay for it through taxes, or we have to levy the merchant discount rate (MDR), following the ‘user pays’ model.

“Right now the government is getting us the amendment. Costs have to be paid by someone. We all want this public infrastructure to strengthen and become more efficient, etc. We continue to do that. That is our focus right now; let us wait and watch for further developments,” Malhotra said.

Levy of MDR has become a vexed issue in the country as bankers and other stakeholders in the payment industry have been pressing for it, and the government has so far not moved in the matter, and the usage of digital payments like the UPI platform has continued to grow at a handsome pace.

Some watchers have been expecting MDR to set in for UPI transactions above a certain value between a merchant and customer, and not in the case of peer-to-peer payments.

The important aspect is that someone has to pay for the service, the RBI Governor said.

Malhotra said under the ‘use-pays’ principle, it is the person or the merchant who is transacting who gets charged through the levy of MDR, but added that even if there is no MDR in place, the general public pays for it through the taxes.

“What is important is that we continue to invest and continue to find the means, whether it is MDR or others. Let us wait and see how the situation evolves,” he said.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 06: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday described unemployment as a major problem in the country, and said it would be taken up as a nationwide issue.

He was addressing a press conference after the conclusion of the CJP’s core team meeting in his hometown Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra. The core team had been holding talks at Dipke’s residence since Wednesday.

CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das, spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and other representatives were also present at the press conference.

The protests, led by CJP at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi last month over the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities, led to Dharmendra Pradhan resigning as the Union education minister.

Dipke said, “Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is the biggest achievement of the students’ agitation.”

There were not only students but also jobless youngsters who participated in the Jantar Mantar protest, he said.

“Unemployment is a major problem, we will make it a nationwide issue. We will work on education reforms. Education has remained unaffordable since schooling. Education is used for making profits. But we want to change it,” he said.

Sixty per cent of people in the country are below the age of 35 and protesters at Jantar Mantar also comprised such people, Dipke noted.

The CJP founder also said there was a need to bring back the credibility of the media.

Panaji, Aug 06: The Bombay High Court on Thursday convicted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal on charges of rape in a 2013 sexual assault case and set aside a sessions court order acquitting him.

A bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar of the HC’s Goa bench said it would pronounce its order on sentencing in the afternoon.

Tejpal has been convicted under sections 376 (2)(f) (person who is a guardian or in a position of trust or authority rapes a woman), 354 (a) (sexual harassment) and 354 (b) (using criminal force on a woman with an intent to disrobe her) of the Indian Penal Code.

Under section 376, Tejpal faces a minimum punishment of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

While Tejpal’s counsel Aabad Ponda sought the minimum punishment, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Goa government, sought the maximum punishment to send a strong message that “no means no”.

Tejpal, who was present in court, sought leniency, claiming that he was a “political victim” and the father of two daughters.

The case relates to allegations by a former junior colleague that the veteran journalist sexually assaulted her inside a hotel elevator during the ThinkFest event in Goa in November 2013.

After he was acquitted by the trial court in 2021, the Goa government challenged the verdict.