Tehelka sex scandal: Law should take its course according to SC guidelines, says Jaitley
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley on Friday condemned the sexual assault incident involving Tehelka magazine editor Tarun Tejpal, and said the law should take its course according to guidelines given by the Supreme Court.
“An editor has been accused of harassment. It is a very serious issue. Law should take its course according to the guidelines given by the apex court. According to the law, there should be an in-house enquiry by the organization he is associated with,” he said.
Asserting that the allegations are serious, Jaitley said: “Both internal inquiry and police investigation should happen.
He further said that it is the duty of all in society to support the victim, and not put pressure on her to stay quiet.
“If she is being pressurized to change her statement, it won’t be in favor of the both, the victim and the society,” he added.
Tehelka’s Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury on Thursday said her priority is the aggrieved journalist, and added the journalist demanded an apology, which has been given to her.
She also said that Tejpal has stepped down, which is not something the concerned journalist had asked for.
“My priority is that aggrieved journalist should feel that she has been done justice by, and being driven by what she wants. Please allow me to attend to her first. To my understanding, she wanted an apology. It was given to her,’ she said.
“The editor has stepped down, which was not something she had asked for. My primary duty is to her. The harassment committee will definitely respond by this evening,’ she added.
Tejpal, on Wednesday, sent a letter to Chaudhary, saying that he was stepping aside from his job for six months, and was squarely to be blamed for the sexual misconduct incident.
He further said that it was a bad lapse of judgment on his part, and that he had completely misread the situation.
He said that he has apologised unconditionally to the concerned journalist, but felt that he needed to atone for his misconduct further.
Tejpal, who is a founder member of the Tehelka magazine, said that he was stepping aside as an act of penance.