 "Tarun Tejpal's bail defence: Why was victim in De Niro's room for an hour?")
Panaji: What was the victim in the Tehelka rape case doing in Hollywood actor Robert De Niro’s room for an hour and a half at night?
That is one of the points raised by former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal’s defence lawyer in the bail plea which has also described “the character of the female victim is not beyond suspicion”.
“He (defence lawyer) submitted that there is evidence to show that the victim was in the room of the guest Mr. Robert De Niro for about one and half hour in the night time,” High Court Justice Utkarsh Bakre has noted in his order denying bail to the 50-year-old journalist.
[caption id=“attachment_1434969” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Tejpal’s bail plea has been rejected. PTI[/caption]
Bakre also said that the prosecution has thwarted attempts made by the defence to produce messages exchanged on WhatsApp, a social media platform between the victim, Tejpal’s daughter and another friend, which according to the defence tended to “disclose relationship between the victim girl and the guest named ‘Bob’, who appears to be Robert De Niro.
Tejpal has already spent over three months in police and judicial custody since his arrest on 30 November, after a nationwide police chase.
A junior colleague, who was in charge of chaperoning de Niro, had accused Tejpal of alleged rape during ThinkFest, a high profile conference organised by Tehelka founder in Goa.
The victim had claimed that she was sexually assaulted twice on 7 and 8 November.
Tejpal is presently lodged in Sada sub jail located in Vasco, 35 kms from here.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
](https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Tarun-Tejpal-PTI.jpg){kind=link}