While women across diverse regions, religions, races, and social classes face daunting challenges when seeking justice for sexual abuse and harassment, allegations within Left-Liberal and self-identified progressive circles often rank lower in the hierarchy of victimhood when the accused perpetrator is ideologically aligned or politically useful. A classic example of this long-running pattern is the sexual assault case involving Tehelka Magazine’s former founding editor-in-chief, Tarun Tejpal.

How the Progressive Ecosystem Response Targeted Tarun Tejpal’s Accuser

Barely a year after the Nirbhaya gang rape shook India’s conscience, Tarun Tejpal sexually assaulted a young female colleague in Goa. Recently, the Bombay High Court at Goa reversed the 2021 Sessions Court order that had acquitted Tarun Tejpal. The High Court convicted him under Sections 376(2)(f), 354(a), and 354(b) of the Indian Penal Code, which relate to rape by a person in a position of trust or authority, sexual harassment, and the use of criminal force with the intent to disrobe a woman.

The far-left journalist was accused of forcing himself on a colleague against her wishes inside an elevator at the Grand Hyatt in Bambolim, Goa, on November 7, 2013, during a Tehelka magazine event. Tejpal was arrested in late November 2013 and released on bail in July 2014. He had stepped down as editor six months after being accused of sexual assault under the guise of "recusing" himself.

The legal proceedings dragged on for over a decade. During this time, the complainant had to navigate intense criticism and scrutiny from both the Goa Sessions Court and sections of the Left-Liberal ecosystem. All of this occurred despite Tarun Tejpal’s own apology emails admitting unwanted sexual advances to his junior colleague and acknowledging pressure exerted from his position of authority.

The initial trial process fixated heavily on the survivor’s demeanor, her past messages, and her lack of stereotypical displays of trauma. In fact, the Bombay High Court at Goa noted in 2021 that the sessions court’s verdict read like a "manual for rape victims," describing how a survivor should or should not respond in such situations. While the High Court has now rejected those stereotypes as myths and upheld the victim’s testimony, the initial and prolonged response from sections of the Leftist journalistic and celebrity ecosystem demonstrated reflexive skepticism, active victim-blaming, and the protection of Tejpal.

In 2014, Nirupama Sekhri wrote an open letter in Newslaundry addressing "Ms Tehelka-Assault Victim." Sekhri, the sister of Newslaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri, refused to treat the complainant as a victim. Her letter framed the entire episode as "bubblegum feminism," reverse female chauvinism, and complicity in getting a man jailed without trial.

Sekhri wrote: “To begin with, I would like to establish quite clearly that I do not see you as a victim, unless it is of bubblegum feminism which I will speak in detail of later.”

Questioning the contribution of the allegations to women’s rights, Nirupama Sekhri portrayed Tarun Tejpal as the real casualty of a "media frenzy." Her letter dissected the victim’s conduct, calling her "irresponsible," accusing her of ripping Tejpal’s reputation apart, and questioning why she chose to travel in the elevator with him. She also questioned the delay in filing a complaint, ignoring that delays are standard in sexual assault cases due to social stigma, shame, and shock. Sekhri targeted not only the victim but also cast aspersions on women who supported her.

Public Apologetics and Strategic Media Coverage

Abhinandan Sekhri amplified his sister’s victim-blaming impulse and sought to whitewash Tejpal in a 2014 interview with the former Tehelka editor. Similarly, senior journalist Seema Mustafa delegitimized the victim’s testimony based on her reading of CCTV footage. In an article published in Scroll, Mustafa claimed: “What happened around the lift does not bear any similarity to what the alleged victim claims had happened.” Following severe backlash, Mustafa removed her byline from the article.

Tejpal’s former editor at Outlook, Vinod Mehta, defended Tejpal in his memoir, Editor Unplugged: Media, Magnates, Netas and Me. Mehta attempted to dilute the act by referring to it as a “presumably non-consensual carnal favour.” Mehta wrote that Tejpal had a reputation for having “some difficulty in keeping his trousers zipped up,” while defending Tejpal’s “manic libido.”

Tarun Tejpal also received backing from Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar and film director Anurag Kashyap. Prominent Leftists circulated hotel CCTV footage online, claiming it contradicted the victim’s narrative. Following Tejpal's 2021 acquittal, Congress leader Manish Tewari described Tejpal as “honourably exonerated” and “hugely politically persecuted,” welcoming him back while sparring with those who took the victim seriously. The reaction of these commentators suggested that despite awareness of Tejpal’s actions, shielding him remained the priority.

Selective Feminism and Political Utility

This pattern of revictimizing survivors, downplaying abuse, and whitewashing perpetrators based on their service to ideological causes extends beyond a single case. Reactions to reported sexual abuse within Leftist political spaces frequently vary depending on the identity and alignment of the accused.

When the Unnao rape case occurred involving BJP politician Kuldeep Singh Sengar, the Leftist ecosystem rightfully condemned the perpetrator and political machinery. However, when allegations involved an ideologically aligned figure like Tarun Tejpal, commentators adopted a defensive posture, subjecting the survivor to intense public interrogation for leveling allegations against someone perceived as serving a "higher purpose" against political adversaries.

During the 2018 Kathua rape case involving an eight-year-old girl, the public response focused heavily on the religious identities of the accused and the victim, giving the horrific crime a strong political angle. In contrast, when accusations surface within anti-establishment circles, an implicit hierarchy takes effect. When an accused individual advances preferred narratives—such as opposing Hindutva, engaging in anti-caste activism, or fighting perceived societal oppressions—women’s safety becomes secondary, and reporting misconduct is treated as a betrayal of the broader cause.

When an ideology demands that its adherents champion feminism only when the accused is an ideological adversary—while demanding silence from victims for the "greater good" when the perpetrator is an ally—the resulting advocacy is performative and selective.

Suppression of Complaints Within Social Movements

A recent example of these moral contradictions occurred during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) student protests in Delhi in mid-July. Yashaswinee Raje Singh, an activist and daughter of a former Uttar Pradesh MLA, publicly revealed the harassment and misogyny she faced from CJP supporters during the demonstration.

Singh deliberately waited until the protest reached its conclusion before revealing her ordeal. To avoid weakening the movement against the Modi government, Singh explicitly stated that her goal was not to tear down the movement, but to expose the hypocrisy of its leaders. Although she reported that supporters dismissed her immediate complaints, she did not receive the same level of public backing from ideological allies as seen in cases targeting political opponents, and she ultimately refrained from pursuing police action.

Years prior, during the 2021 Farmers’ Protest, a woman was mocked and discredited after accusing social media documenter Mohammad Zuber—associated with Kisan Ekta Morcha and Trolley Times—of sexual assault. When the survivor spoke out, Varun Chouhan, a key figure in Trolley Times, publicly ridiculed her. Later, additional women came forward with similar allegations under The Kaur Movement, while several female journalists covering the protests reported facing online abuse and physical molestation by demonstrators.

In January 2021, India Today anchor Preeti Choudhry publicly called out the “sizeable chunk of depraves” among protesting groups who were sexually harassing female reporters on the ground. When she spoke out, figures linked to the movement offered disgraceful justifications, suggesting reporters invited the behavior.

In another case at the Tikri border protest site in 2021, a 25-year-old female activist from West Bengal was sexually harassed on a train and gang-raped at the protest site by two men linked to the Aam Aadmi Party before later dying of COVID-19 in a hospital. Political activist Yogendra Yadav was aware of her ordeal and in contact with her, yet chose not to inform law enforcement, prioritizing the political image of the protest over the dignity and life of the victim.

In mid-2025, Rohini Ghavari Valmiki, a PhD student in Switzerland, accused Azad Samaj Party leader and Lok Sabha MP Chandrashekhar Azad of emotional exploitation, sexual harassment, and false promises of marriage, filing complaints with the police and the National Commission for Women (NCW). Despite Ghavari herself being a Dalit woman, supporters of Azad and Leftist commentators dismissed her allegations as a "BJP conspiracy" to undermine a prominent Dalit voice. Had the same allegations been directed at a political opponent or an upper-caste individual, social media would have been flooded with support campaigns and op-eds detailing systemic oppression.

Enforced Silence and International Precedents

This environment has led some victims within liberal-left spaces to actively conceal sexual misconduct to protect overarching political narratives. A Hindu woman who faced sexual and mental abuse by The Wire journalist Omar Rashid was explicitly reminded of her identity in a "Hindu Rashtra" to enforce her silence for the "greater good."

Similarly, historian and YouTuber Ruchika Sharma publicly revealed that she previously chose not to name or report her own sexual abuser out of fear of “fanning Islamophobia.”

In another admission from 2022, writer and activist Dr. Meena Kandasamy revealed a 2010 incident in which she actively refused to press charges against a non-Brahmin faculty member who had molested her, despite the presence of eyewitnesses and formal institutional bodies like GSCASH. Explaining her refusal, Kandasamy noted her fear of being labeled a "Brahmin stooge" by peers, writing that “living with the humiliation of molestation seemed better than being called a Brahmin-stooge.”

In a similar incident, The Wire journalist Damyanti Dhar was attacked by a mob of 15 to 20 Dalit men while reporting in Ahmedabad. After Dhar shared her experience, left-wing activists and editors instructed her to ignore the attack, describing it as an unavoidable professional risk.

This structural dynamic is also visible internationally. In the United States, Hillary Clinton spent decades defending Bill Clinton against multiple women who accused him of sexual harassment, with party circles attacking the credibility of accusers while promoting a feminist platform. During her 2008 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton opted not to fire her faith adviser, Burns Strider, after he was accused of molesting a female subordinate and sending suggestive emails. NBC News reported in 2018 that Strider was retained and docked pay while the victim was reassigned; Clinton only expressed regret years later.

Furthermore, gender solidarity within these political circles is often subordinated to other primary identity considerations. During the 2008 Democratic primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, media personality Oprah Winfrey endorsed Obama over Clinton. Winfrey’s endorsement brought over one million votes to Obama, demonstrating how gender-based political unity was set aside for race and broader political considerations.

In the United Kingdom, organized grooming networks operated for nearly four decades in towns like Rotherham and Telford, targeting young girls. Progressive Labour Party authorities and politicians repeatedly failed to intervene or publicly address the offenders out of fear of stoking racial tension or accusations of Islamophobia, placing political concerns above the protection of vulnerable minors.

The Reality of Selective Advocacy

The response to sexual misconduct within certain political circles demonstrates that advocacy for women's rights frequently remains performative. When an accused individual serves a preferred political purpose, core principles of justice are often replaced by victim-blaming, strategic silence, or conspiracy theories. Victims within these ecosystems are repeatedly placed under pressure to internalize their trauma rather than jeopardize broader political goals. While political self-protection occurs across the ideological spectrum, the contradiction is particularly pronounced among movements that present themselves as champions of equality, revealing a system where political utility takes precedence over individual justice.