Indian-origin man linked to BJP sentenced 40-year jail for raping 5 South Korean women in Australia
Sydney: An Australian court has sentenced an Indian community leader to forty years in prison after being found guilty of “elaborately executed, manipulative and highly predatory” rapes of five Korean women.
According to media reports, Balesh Dhankhar posted fake job advertisements to lure women in their 20s before drugging them in or near his home in Sydney. The former IT consultant then groped and raped the women. He further filmed his crimes for his future sexual gratification.
He also maintained a spreadsheet ranking applicants of his fake job postings based on appearance, intelligence, and perceived vulnerability.
Dhankhar is the founder of the Australian wing of the Overseas Friends of BJP, an official support group of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the country. He was convicted of 39 offences, including 13 counts of rape, six of administering an intoxicating substance, 17 of recording intimate videos without consent and three of indecent assault.
District Court Judge Michael King sharply condemned Dhankhar's actions, describing them as "premeditated, elaborately executed, manipulative, and highly predatory."
Meanwhile, Dhankhar has denied drugging the women or that the encounters were non-consensual. He told a report writer that there was a "difference in how I interpret consent, to how the law sees consent".
Dhankhar, who arrived in Australia as a student in 2006, was a popular figure in the Indian-Australian community and served as a spokesperson for the Hindu Council of Australia.
Dhankar’s non-parole period expires in April 2053. He will be 83 years old when his full sentence ends.
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Bombay HC issues notice to Maharashtra govt, MLA Murji Patel on Kunal Kamra’s plea to quash FIRs
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Maharashtra government and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLA Murji Patel in response to a petition filed by comedian Kunal Kamra seeking the quashing of multiple FIRs lodged against him over political remarks made during his stand-up show.
A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and SM Modak scheduled the matter for hearing on April 16. “Issue notice to the respondents (police and Patel). They shall take instructions and respond to the plea,” the bench observed.
The first FIR was filed by Murji Patel on March 24 at Khar police station, based on Kamra’s performance of his show ‘Naya Bharat’ at Habitat Studio, Unicontinental Hotel, Khar. Kamra allegedly made comments targeting prominent political figures, industrialists, and central agencies.
Representing Kamra, senior advocate Navroz Seervai informed the court that the Madras High Court had extended the interim transit anticipatory bail granted to the comedian until April 17. Seervai added that Kamra, who has been residing in Tamil Nadu since 2021, had offered thrice in writing to appear before police via video conference due to threats to his safety. However, police insisted on his physical presence.
“This is not a case of murder. It is an FIR stemming from a stand-up comedy show,” Seervai said. “He is ready to cooperate with the investigation but seeks to do so through video conferencing.”
In his petition, Kamra contended that the FIRs violate his constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and expression, and that continuation of the case amounts to criminalising political commentary. He maintained that his comments about the 2022 political developments in Maharashtra, including the Shiv Sena split and Eknath Shinde's appointment as Chief Minister, are matters of public record.
Kamra stated that the script for ‘Naya Bharat’ was written in July 2024 and performed around 60 times between August 2024 and February 2025. A recording was uploaded online in March 2025, after which multiple FIRs were registered.
A zero FIR was initially filed at MIDC police station before being transferred to Khar. Three additional FIRs were lodged on March 28 under similar charges, with further cases registered in Thane and Dombivli.
Following backlash, an online ticketing platform delisted Kamra and removed all associated content on April 5.
The court will hear the case in full on April 16.
