Tehelka panel to probe charges against Tejpal

News Magazine Tehelka Thursday said it had constituted a panel, led by eminent feminist Urvashi Butalia, to look into charges of sexual harassment against its editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal.

"In furtherance to Tehelka's acceptance of Tarun Tejpal's recusal from editorship Nov 20, which followed the official unconditional apology he had mailed to the journalist concerned Nov 19, Tehelka has now constituted a formal complaints committee, in accordance with Vishaka guidelines, to be presided over by Urvashi Butalia, eminent feminist and publisher, to investigate the matter," the magazine's managing editor Shoma Chowdhary said in a statement.

"The other members of the committee will be announced shortly," the statement said.

"In addition to this, Tehelka will ensure setting up a formal complaints committee, according to section 4 of the Sexual Harassment of Women (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act, 2013), an institutional mechanism that was sorely missing in Tehelka," it added.