An FIR alleging rape has been filed against Sajjan Jindal, Chairman of JSW Group, at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) police station, following a directive from the Bombay High Court. This action was taken after the 30-year-old complainant approached the court. Repeated attempts to contact the JSW group spokesperson and a senior official for comments were unsuccessful.
Plaintiff files writ petition
The complainant, through her lawyer Rizwan Merchant, filed a writ petition (ST 22760 of 2023) which was heard by Justices NR Borkar and Prakash D Naik. On December 12, Assistant Public Prosecutor YY Dabake informed the court that the police would record the petitioner's statement and take necessary action. The victim subsequently provided her statement to the BKC police, leading to the registration of the FIR.
The incident, as alleged by the victim, occurred on January 24, 2022, at the JSW corporate building in Bandra-Kurla Complex. The complaint details that Jindal led her to a private area where the alleged incident took place.
Jindal met complainant in Dubai
The complainant mentioned that she first met Jindal in Dubai in October 2021 and later interacted with him at various social events and meetings, where Jindal expressed romantic interest. The complainant also stated that they discussed plans for a formal relationship.
The complainant didn't initially approach the police due to fears of reprisal from Jindal, given his influential status. However, she gathered the courage to file a complaint in February 2023, which she alleges was met with pressure and bribery attempts to retract her statement. The FIR was finally registered on December 13, 2023, under various sections of the IPC, including punishment for rape and criminal intimidation. The police have commenced their investigation, and Jindal has reportedly been summoned to record his statement.