The Fast Track Court here on Thursday passed an order granting permission to the Investigating Officer (IO) of Crime Branch of Goa police to investigate further and file supplementary charge sheet in the Tarun Tejpal female journalist sexual assault case.
The order was passed on an application made by the IO before the Court under Section 173(8) of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking permission to conduct further investigation of the crime and furnish additional evidence and the report in the Fast Track Court.
Judge Vijaya Pole, in her order held that power of the police to conduct further investigation even after filing final report is recognized under the section.
In her application, IO Sunita Sawant had said that some technical reports received from Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad, pertaining to analysis of gadgets like DVDs, attached Blackberry mobile phone of the accused, etc., needed to be taken on record; some technical reports were awaited; a witness who had been residing outside the country had been contacted and his response awaited — all of which would mean further additional evidence and report.
The IO had filed the charge sheet in the case on February 17 charging co-founder of Tehelka magazine Tarun Tejpal of rape and other charges in regard to his junior female journalist colleague during a three-day annual ThinkFest event of his magazine held at a five star hotel in north Goa early November last year.
During the hearing of the application, the accused had objected to the application saying the application failed to disclose any “further evidence”.
The lawyer of the accused had argued that the application under consideration was contrary to the intention of the law and if allowed it would occasion grave prejudice to the accused.
The Judge on Thursday also granted time of two weeks to the IO to provide copies of additional documents and evidence to the accused which had been sought earlier. The same will have to be produced in the Court on July 4 for that purpose.
Mr. Tejpal, who was arrested on November 30 and had been in Judicial Custody since December 4, is presently on an interim bail granted by the Supreme Court to him to attend to the final rites of his deceased mother.
