Tejpal gets SC relief but fails to attend mom's cremation

Panaji, May 19: Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal failed to attend cremation of his mother Shakuntala here today even after securing interim bail from the Supreme court for the purpose, apparently due to delay in completion of formalities.

Tejpal is lodged in Sada sub-jail, 40 kms from here, in connection with a rape case. Shakuntala Tejpal (87), who was suffering from brain tumour, passed away last evening at Tarun's residence at Moira village in North Goa.

Her last rites were performed at a Hindu crematorium at St Inez in presence of family members and close friends. However, Tejpal could not reach in time as he was busy completing the bail formalities at the jail. He reached the crematorium at around 7:15 PM when the funeral pyre had been lit by his brother Minty Tejpal at 6 PM.

Senior journalist and Tejpal's family friend Aniruddha Bahal was among those present at the spot when the last rites were being performed.

"The Tejpal family had flown to Goa last evening," Tejpal's counsel Raunak Rav told PTI. Earlier in the day, the supreme court granted Tejpal an interim for three weeks to enable him to attend his mother's funeral.

According to sources in jail, Tejpal was busy completing formalities when the cremation was in progress at St Inez. Shakuntala Tejpal, who was living in Tejpal's house at Moira, had been admitted to a hospital in Mapusa town but was later discharged.

A court had in the past granted permission twice to Tejpal to meet his ailing mother, once in hospital at Mapusa and for the second time at his residence in Goa.

Tejpal is booked for allegedly raping his woman colleague during an event in the state and has been lodged in jail since November 30 last year, after his anticipatory bail was rejected by a local court. According to his family sources, Shakuntala's ashes will be immersed at Haridwar.

PTI