Sexual harassment charges cost Tejpal Prasar Bharti membership

The expose of his alleged sexual assault on his junior colleague has cost Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal membership of the Prasar Bharti Board.

Tejpal was selected as a member of the Prasar Bharti Board on Tuesday by a committee headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari, sources said.

However, soon after Tejpal's alleged sexual assault on a colleague came to light last night, Ansari immediately asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to cancel it, the sources added.

The Prasar Bharati Board comprises a Chairman, an Executive Member (Chief Executive Officer), a Member (Finance), a Member (Personnel), six Part-time Members, a representative of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Directors General of All India Radio and Doordarshan as Ex-officio Members.

The Chairman is a part-time member with a six-year tenure. The Executive Member has a tenure of five years, subject to the age limit of 65 years. Member (Finance) and Member (Personnel) are full time members with a six-year tenure, subject to the age limit of 62 years.

Tejpal's alleged sexual harassment of the colleague a few days back in Goa has snowballed into a major controversy.

He announced last night that he was "recusing" from his job for six months after an email by the woman journalist of his magazine alleging sexual assault on her by him was made public.

Goa police is considering summoning him while questions have been raised over the way the weekly magazine has handled the issue.