Tehelka’s managing editor resigns amidst controversy
29 Nov 2013 5:51 AM IST
Meanwhile, Shoma Chaudhury on Thursday tendered an apology to the Nation Commission for Women (NCW) for alleged ‘lapses’ in handling the case of alleged sexual assault of the magazine’s journalist by its former editor Tarun Tejpal.
‘There has been a lapse, she (Shoma) did not act the way she should have. She has apologised,’ said, Shamina Shafiq, NCW member.
Chaudhury sent her resignation early this morning, a move that came as Goa police closed in on Tejpal. Speculation is rife that she may also be named in the FIR for certain alleged acts of commission and omission after the scandal became public.
‘Over the past week, I have been accused of an attempt to cover-up and for not standing by my feminist positions. While I accept that I could have done many things differently and in a more measured way, I reject the allegations of a cover-up because in no way could the first actions that were taken be deemed suppression of any kind.
‘As for my feminist positions, I believe I acted in consonance with them by giving my colleague’s account precedence over everything else,’ Chaudhury said in her resignation letter.
‘However, despite this, as a result of what’s transpired over the past few days, my integrity has repeatedly been questioned by people from our fraternity and, in fact, by the public at large. I would like to take cognisance of this.
‘I have worked hard for Tehelka for many years and what we have stood for is very dear to me and I hold it in high esteem. I do not want questions raised about my integrity to tarnish the image of Tehelka, which it has done in the past week.
‘Therefore, I resign as managing editor with immediate effect,’ Chaudhury said. Ever since the scandal became public Chaudhury, a share holder in Tehelka and associated companies started by Tejpal, was accused of cover up and not taking proper action the case demanded.
Initially, Chaudhury sought to portray it as an internal matter and was more interested in getting an apology from Tejpal to the victim rather than reporting it to police because of the nature of the cognisable offence. Later, she tried to set up an internal complaints committee with Urvashi Butalia, a friend of Tejpal, as its head, to go into the issue.
The committee never took off and Butalia refused to be part of it. Meanwhile, a number of editors resigned from the magazine accusing Chaudhury of not doing justice to the victim and being interested only in protecting Tejpal.
Chaudhary said in the letter, ‘I will come in to office to close the issue and do the necessary handovers. I cannot express how painful this is for me. It has never been a part of me to give up midway through a challenge. I would have liked to continue at Tehelka to see us through this dark time, but I am no longer sure whether my presence is harming or helping Tehelka. ‘I deeply regret any inadequacies or lack of clarity I may have displayed in my leadership.’
In the letter, Chaudhury, who was questioned by Goa police last Saturday, rued that her integrity was questioned and said ‘things have been misconstrued and have snowballed exponentially in the media, based on half-facts and selective leaks’.
‘There has been a lapse, she (Shoma) did not act the way she should have. She has apologised,’ said, Shamina Shafiq, NCW member.
Chaudhury sent her resignation early this morning, a move that came as Goa police closed in on Tejpal. Speculation is rife that she may also be named in the FIR for certain alleged acts of commission and omission after the scandal became public.
‘Over the past week, I have been accused of an attempt to cover-up and for not standing by my feminist positions. While I accept that I could have done many things differently and in a more measured way, I reject the allegations of a cover-up because in no way could the first actions that were taken be deemed suppression of any kind.
‘As for my feminist positions, I believe I acted in consonance with them by giving my colleague’s account precedence over everything else,’ Chaudhury said in her resignation letter.
‘However, despite this, as a result of what’s transpired over the past few days, my integrity has repeatedly been questioned by people from our fraternity and, in fact, by the public at large. I would like to take cognisance of this.
‘I have worked hard for Tehelka for many years and what we have stood for is very dear to me and I hold it in high esteem. I do not want questions raised about my integrity to tarnish the image of Tehelka, which it has done in the past week.
‘Therefore, I resign as managing editor with immediate effect,’ Chaudhury said. Ever since the scandal became public Chaudhury, a share holder in Tehelka and associated companies started by Tejpal, was accused of cover up and not taking proper action the case demanded.
Initially, Chaudhury sought to portray it as an internal matter and was more interested in getting an apology from Tejpal to the victim rather than reporting it to police because of the nature of the cognisable offence. Later, she tried to set up an internal complaints committee with Urvashi Butalia, a friend of Tejpal, as its head, to go into the issue.
The committee never took off and Butalia refused to be part of it. Meanwhile, a number of editors resigned from the magazine accusing Chaudhury of not doing justice to the victim and being interested only in protecting Tejpal.
Chaudhary said in the letter, ‘I will come in to office to close the issue and do the necessary handovers. I cannot express how painful this is for me. It has never been a part of me to give up midway through a challenge. I would have liked to continue at Tehelka to see us through this dark time, but I am no longer sure whether my presence is harming or helping Tehelka. ‘I deeply regret any inadequacies or lack of clarity I may have displayed in my leadership.’
In the letter, Chaudhury, who was questioned by Goa police last Saturday, rued that her integrity was questioned and said ‘things have been misconstrued and have snowballed exponentially in the media, based on half-facts and selective leaks’.
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