Asking irrelevant and scandalous questions to the rape survivor during the trails is not a new thing in our country and the same have been also promoted in various movies made in Bollywood. The idea behind it is to harass and embarrass the victim so that they take back the case and something similar seems to be happening in the most infamous rape case involving the Founder and Editor of Tehelka Magazine which has reached the stage of cross-examination of the rape survivor.
The long-pending sexual assault case involving the founder and editor of the Tahalka Magazine Tarun Tejpal has finally begun its proceedings in the Trial Court. The case is in the stage of cross-examination of the rape survivor, and based on the Supreme Court guidelines the High Court of Mumbai at Goa issued the instructions to the trial court asking them to refrain the lawyer of accused from asking unnecessary questions which makes the survivor uncomfortable in the court.
According to the report published by the Times of India, The High Court of Bombay at Goa told the trial court on Thursday not to allow counsel for the former founder-editor of Tehelka, Tarun Tejpal, to ask “irrelevant questions” during the cross-examination of the survivor in the alleged rape case of 2013.
According to sources, the court had passed an interim order after the survivor approached the high court on Wednesday seeking retraining of the lawyer of Tarun Tejpal from asking indecent and scandalous questions during the cross-examination as the same does not have any relevance to the case.
The public prosecutor Mr. Tavora told the media that the survivor had stated in her application to the high court that she had been asked such questions during the trial by the lawyer of the accused.
Meanwhile, the advocate for Tejpal had sought time from the court to file the reply and argue the matter, because they are in the process of appointing a senior lawyer Kapil Sibal in this case. “The court granted them time and fixed the matter for hearing on December 20,” Said Advocate Tavora.
The survivor also requested the court to put the screen between her and Tejpal during the trial as she feels intimidated when Tejpal approaches his lawyer during the trial. “HC said that the survivor should raise the request in the trial court,” Tavora said.
It may be recalled that the In September 2017, the Mapusa court framed charges against Tejpal for allegedly raping a junior colleague in a five-star hotel at Bambolim in November 2013. Tejpal had pleaded not guilty, paving the way for a trial and thereafter the cross-examination which began in the month of October is still continuing after several adjournments.
The Source: Time of India
