Industrialist Sajjan Jindal booked for rape charges by Mumbai police
Jindal refused the allegations in a brief statement
Updated: Dec 18th, 2023
In yet another assault allegation involving a business honcho, a well-known name in the steel industry has been accused of rape allegations by a woman from Gujarat.
The 30-year-old woman, has accused Sajjan Jindal, chairperson and managing director of JSW Steel Ltd (Jindal South West), of sexual assault on her last year, as per a detailed complaint lodged with Mumbai police.
The woman, a resident of Juhu, originally from Ahmedabad, filed the complaint against the 64-year-old Jindal Group head, Sajjan Jindal, with the Bandra Kurla police station on Dec 13.
Mumbai police refused to file FIR
As per reports, Mumbai police initially refused to file an FIR (First Information Report) against Jindal. The woman approached the Bombay High Court, and after the HC’s order, the FIR was filed.
The FIR lodged by the police under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 503 (criminal intimidation) revealed that the survivor was introduced to Jindal at an IPL (Indian Premier Legue) match inside the VIP Box of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Oct 8, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They exchanged contact details and started chatting on WhatsApp when Jindal sought to meet her.
In December 2021, the woman said she had gone to Jaipur for an event where she again met Jindal, and they talked.
Jindal allegedly tried to get intimate with her and insisted on meeting her in a hotel.
Her complaint alleged that on Dec 24, 2021, Jindal booked a suite at a five-star hotel in Bandra West, Mumbai, in her name.
They met, and Jindal reportedly shared his marital problems; then he allegedly hugged the woman and attempted to kiss her, but she rejected his attempts.
Later, Jindal purportedly asked her to send him her revealing photos, but she ignored him, and also tried to lure her with offers of a bungalow, a car, and business help.
When she demanded to make their relationship legal with a registered marriage, Jindal allegedly refused, citing societal norms, yet proposed they could live as ‘husband and wife’ abroad, which she refused.
In the complaint, she accuses that after some more meetings at his office at BKC in Mumbai, Jindal behaved inappropriately with her in the office bathroom.
The woman said she felt traumatised by his conduct and sexual exploitation, resulting in her filing the complaint in February, after which the accused attempted to pursue her with offers of money to withdraw the case.
Jindal refutes allegations
Responding to the allegations, Jindal released a statement on the evening of Dec 17 that read, “Sajjan Jindal denies these false and baseless allegations. He is committed to providing full cooperation throughout the investigation. As the investigation is ongoing, we will refrain from commenting further at this stage. We kindly request you to respect the privacy of the family.”
(With inputs from IANS)
-Edited for style
