An Indian court on Friday acquitted the former editor of a leading news magazine of raping a female colleague seven years ago.
In a high-profile case that made headlines across the country, Tarun Tejpal was acquitted of charges of rape, sexual harassment and wrongful restraint on Friday, public prosecutor Francisco Tavora said in Goa.
"Seriously aggrieved. The state will be assailing the judgment," Mr Tavora told AFP in a text message.
Tejpal, 58, founder and former editor of Tehelka magazine, was accused of raping a female journalist in the lift of a five-star hotel in Goa in November 2013.
He was granted bail in 2014.
The case came at a time when India's record on sexual assault was under scrutiny after the fatal gang rape of a New Delhi student in December 2012 that sparked nationwide protests and resulted in the strengthening of anti-rape laws.
Tehelka magazine had reported forcefully on gender inequality in the country, highlighting police and judicial insensitivity to rape victims as well as the misogynistic attitudes of many Indian men.
Women's rights campaigners attacked the court's decision, with activist Kavita Krishnan calling it "very unfortunate".
"This is a case where there was an enormous amount of evidence and courageous action on the part of the complainant, who lost no time in telling people what happened," Ms Krishnan said.
"I am aware of how torturous the trial has been for the complainant. The entire process of the trial has put her in the pillory and subjected her to all kinds of cruelties."
Tejpal, who has always denied the allegations, welcomed the ruling, describing it as "a long-fought-for vindication" in a statement read out by his daughter Cara outside the court in Goa.
The woman, who has since quit the magazine, cannot be named for legal reasons.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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