Before HC convicted him: How Tejpal was given access to the victim’s personal chats to build his defence

Newslaundry · Jun 9, 2021

This report has been re-featured on the website with a revised headline in light of the Bombay High Court order convicting Tejpal on August 6, 2026.The Goa fast track court’s verdict, which labelled the testimony of the victim in the Tarunjit Tejpal rape case as not being of “sterling quality”, drew heavily from the victim’s WhatsApp chat records. The court had allowed Tejpal to place those chats as material evidence to shoulder the bulk of his defence, which alluded to the victim’s “propensity to indulge in sexual conversations”, past “flirtatious” encounters, and post-offence conduct.The…