Journalist Tarun Tejpal, who was acquitted of rape charges in a 2013 case by court in Goa on Friday, said the last seven-and-a-half years had been “traumatic” for his family as they dealt with the “catastrophic fallout of the false allegations” against him.

The former Tehelka editor-in-chief also thanked the court for a “rigorous, impartial and fair trial” in the case. A sessions court acquitted Tejpal of sexually assaulting a woman, who was his colleague at that time, in an elevator of a five star resort in the state. Tejpal, who was present in the court when the verdict was given, later issued a statement that was read out to media persons by his daughter Tara outside the court building in Mapusa town near Panaji.