A filmmaker's controversial Facebook post and a news article have sparked a huge row over Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal, who has been in a Goa jail since December over charges of raping a colleague.

Journalist Manu Joseph has defended his cover story in the news magazine Outlook, which highlighted an alleged mismatch between CCTV footage from a five-star hotel and the young woman's version of what happened inside one of its elevators on two nights in November last.

The footage is from a camera outside the elevator where Tejpal allegedly assaulted the woman. There were no cameras inside.

Asked whether he had seen the footage, Mr Joseph told NDTV, "It is irrelevant whether I saw the footage or not. When I was doing the story I spoke to someone on the prosecution."

He insisted that his article makes no judgement on the case.The story observes, for example, that the woman said that after the alleged incident she hurried out of the lift.

The CCTV footage, Mr Joseph comments, "shows her following at a leisurely pace."

Mr Joseph also writes that while the woman says Tejpal "pulled her by the wrist", the CCTV footage doesn't show that.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap referenced the story when he controversially posted on Facebook, "I have seen the CCTV footage too and none of what the girl says about Tarun Tejpal is true." Read more