No Diwali Relief for Former Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal as Supreme Court Rejects Interim Bail Plea in Rape Case

November 6, 2026

New Delhi: Former Tehelka Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal will not be granted interim bail ahead of Diwali after his application was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Tejpal had filed an application for interim relief in the top court to allow him to leave prison for the festival as the apex court hears his appeal against his conviction and 10-year sentence of rigorous imprisonment by the Bombay High Court.

The Goa government has appealed to increase his sentence to life imprisonment.

Supreme Court Hears Application For Diwali Bail

Tejpal’s lawyer Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal had asked the Supreme Court to grant him bail to allow him to return home for Diwali.

But the Goa government opposed this. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state, said that bail should not be granted to someone who had been convicted.

The matter was heard by a bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale. The request for interim relief had been listed after they adjourned the matter of the cross pleas filed by Tejpal and the Goa government.

Tehelka Editor In Chief Acquitted By Trial Court

In November 2013, Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague inside a lift at a hotel in Goa during an event organised by his magazine.

He was found not guilty by a trial court in Goa in May 2021 but was later convicted of rape and other offences and sentenced to 10 years in rigorous imprisonment by the Bombay High Court on August 6, 2026 after overturning his acquittal.

The High Court also criticised how the trial court handled the testimony of the survivor.

Editor-In-Chief Appeals Against His Sentence, Goa Government Wants Him To Serve Life Sentence

Tejpal then appealed to the Supreme Court against his conviction and 10-year sentence by the High Court. The Goa government also filed their own appeal asking for an increase in his sentence to life imprisonment.

Both parties have had their pleas heard by the Supreme Court. The rejection of his interim bail means Tejpal will not be granted bail for Diwali.