When Newslaundry Penned a 'Loving Letter' to Tarun Tejpal’s Rape Victim, Blaming Her for Assault and Calling Her Flagpole of “Bubblegum Feminism”

TARUN TEJPAL, Indian journalist and the founder-editor of the prominent investigative magazine Tehelka, has been convicted by the Bombay High Court in a 2013 assault case, and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. On Thursday, August 6, 2026, the high court overturned the previous acquittal order given by a sessions court in 2021, and found Tejpal guilty of rape, sexual harassment, and the use of criminal force against a former junior colleague.

Tejpal was accused by a junior colleague of his, who alleged that he sexually assaulted her in a hotel lift during an event held back in 2013 in Goa. As Tarun Tejpal’s case has once again come back into media attention, a 2014 article published on the news portal Newslaundry, which vehemently defended Tejpal while victim-blaming his assault victim, has resurfaced and has brought the news portal’s stance into question.

What Did Newslaundry Say About Tarun Tejpal Rape Victim?

In a letter addressed to the victim of Tejpal’s assault, whom the news portal lovingly referred to as “Dear Ms Tehelka-Assault-Victim,” the write-up’s author stated that the victim’s rape accusations against the Tehelka founder were not a “leg up” for women’s freedom and rights.

The article was written by author Nirupama Sekhri, sister of Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder of Newslaundry. It was published by the media outlet on February 14, 2014, several weeks after Tejpal was accused. “I would like to establish quite clearly that I do not see you as a victim, unless it is of bubblegum feminism,” the author wrote whilst directly addressing the victim. 

While the author very carefully chose not to take side — siding neither with the victim nor with Tejpal — she did brand Tejpal as being a victim of the high-profile assault case and took great pains in defending him and his work. She argued that the Tehelka editor is the “real victim” considering all the “fury that had been unleashed on him.”

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The author called the victim a “blithely irresponsible person,” and said how people like herself can, “rip reputations apart, can have lives spat and stamped upon” even before the legitimacy of her allegations is proved.

In an astonishing display of victim-blaming, Nirupama questioned why the victim chose to travel in a lift with Tejpal, considering he had already misbehaved with her before. The author seemed to put the onus of the assault entirely upon the victim, asking why she didn't fight back or report the incident immediately.  

The next accusation in the author’s article targeted the victim’s education and behavior, writing, “Why smart, young, educated girls [like the victim] do not immediately exercise legal redress when they feel violated?” Nirupama went on further to say that the space for discussion about women’s rights has been “hijacked” by bubblegum feminists — a slang term for women rights activists who focus more on branding and aesthetics rather than advocating for actual change.

Continuing, the author again began her victim-blaming, indirectly alluding to the fact the victim may have been the one who enticed Tarun Tejpal into sexually assaulting her.  “What you have done is not a leg up for women’s freedom and rights, it is reverse female chauvinism,” the author concluded.

Newslaundry was founded by Abhinandan Sekhri, Prashant Sareen, and Madhu Trehan, who previously worked with Tarun Tejpal at India Today.

Tarun Tejpal Assault Case Timeline

In 2013, when the infamous assault case happened, Tarun Tejpal was serving as Tehelka magazine’s editor-in-chief. The assault victim, a junior colleague of his, alleged that Tejpal raped her in a hotel lift during the ThinkFest event held in Goa in Novemer 2013. That same month he was arrested and spent six months in jail. Later, the Supreme Court granted him bail in 2014.  

The case was heard by a fast-track court in Goa and a 2,684-page chargesheet was filed by the police, alleging that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that Tejpal had sexually assaulted the victim.

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However, Tarun Tejpal repeatedly maintained that the assault was “politically motivated,” and that he was being targeted by the then [and now] ruling party of Goa, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The charges included crimes related to rape, sexual harassment, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement and the use of criminal force. Legal provisions including rape committed by a person occupying a position of authority or control over a woman were also invoked against the Tehelka magazine founder.

In May 2021, a sessions court in Goa acquitted him of all charges. During its verdict, the court pointed at the text exchange between Tejpal and the victim and observed that the complainant “did not demonstrate any kind of normative behaviour” that a victim of sexual assault “might plausibly show.” Her behaviour before and after the assault became the major reason for the Goa court acquitting Tejpal.

However, the Goa government challenged the judgement in Bombay High Court, which in June 2021 observed that trial court’s judgement “appears to provide a manual on how rape victims should behave.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state, argued that the trial court had put the victim on trial, judging her actions through their notions of how a rape survivor should behave.

On August 6, 2026, the Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal under section 376(2)(f), 354A, 354B of the Indian Penal Code—covering rape committed by a relative, guardian, teacher, or a person occupying a position of trust or authority towards a woman, criminalized assault or the use of force against a woman with the intention of disrobing her and other charges. He was sentenced 10 years of rigorous punishment by the bench.

Tejpal maintained that he will challenge the sentence in Supreme court while reiterating that he is a “political victim.”

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