Indian magazine editor Tarun Tejpal arrested over sexual assault allegations

Tarun Tejpal, the founder and editor of leading Indian investigative magazine Tehelka, has been arrested over sexual assault allegations  after a court refused to extend his bail, media reports said Saturday. 

The 50-year-old has been accused of raping a junior colleague in a five-star hotel in the western resort state of Goa earlier this month. He denies the allegations.

Tejpal was granted temporary bail on Friday, which prevented police from arresting him. But a Goa court on Saturday refused to extend bail after prosecutors argued Tejpal should be arrested so he could be properly interrogated. India Today reported Tejpal would undergo a medical examination before being questioned by police. 

The alleged incident occurred during the magazine's annual conclave attended by newsmakers and celebrities from around the world. 

Tejpal is considered one of the most powerful journalists in the country and his magazine is renowned for its hard-hitting investigations, and for those reasons the scandal has gripped Indian media since it broke more than a week ago. 

Tejpal, who has stepped down from his position over the allegations, has not been charged.

The female journalist, who has not been identified and has since resigned from the magazine, did not press charges against Tejpal, but police launched an investigation after she made claims against him in the media. 

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Tejpal admitted in a leaked email to the magazine's management that an "unfortunate incident" had occurred between himself and the journalist, describing it as "a bad lapse of judgment". But he has since called what happened consensual.