Sex scandal: FIR filed against former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi
Woman releases third video
Bengaluru, Mar 26: In a new twist to the ongoing probe into the sex scandal allegedly involving former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, an FIR was registered against him on Friday on a complaint by the woman, said to be in the purported video.
Maintaining that he is innocent and ready for a legal battle against the "conspiracy", Jarkiholi said his "game will start now" and he was "capable enough" to face more such complaints.
The FIR came hours after the woman released her third video statement this morning, announcing her decision to file a complaint against Jarkiholi through her lawyer Jagadish Kumar.
Kumar met City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant at his office this afternoon and handed over the copy of the complaint, said to have been written by the woman.
He was then directed by the Commissioner to file a complaint at the city's Cubbon Park Police Station, based on which an FIR was registered against Jarkiholi under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, police sources said.
Speaking to reporters, Kumar confirmed that the FIR was registered, but did not divulge details of the sections invoked, citing that it was a case of crime against women.
"Serious sections have been laid for the crime against women," he said.
On whether Jorkiholi can be arrested under the sections, he said "definitely, they are non-bailable sections."
Kumar also said he would meet the Director General of Police on providing protection for the woman and her family and she would also come forward and cooperate with the probe.
According to police sources, the FIR was registered under various sections of the IPC,including 354A- sexual harassment, 506- criminal intimidation,504 -Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, 376C- sexual intercourse by person in authority, 417- cheating and also under the IT act.
The sources said the woman accused Jarkiholi of sexually "using" her, cheating and threatening her after promising a government job.
She has alleged that Jarkiholi had released the video to defame her, thinking she may file a complaint, and has sought protection fearing a threat to her life and to that of her family, they said.
In her third video statement released on Friday morning, the woman said she got the courage to file a complaint because of the "blessings" of the people and support from leaders of political parties and organisations.
"For the last 24 days I was living with the fear of threat to my life. Today I have got some kind of courage.
...with that courage and because of the support I have got, I'm today filing a complaint against Ramesh Jarkiholi through my lawyer Jagadish," she said.
Reacting to it, Jarkiholi reiterated he was innocent and there was a 'conspiracy' against him and said he was confident of facing '10 more such complaints" and has no fear.
"..they have used their final weapon...from tomorrow we will start using our weapons. Let them file 10 more complaints, I'm ready to face it.. I too have advocates, Supreme Court Lawyers on my side," he told reporters.
The former minister said he has not committed any mistake and that he knew the woman would say things against him. "I will not fear such things. I will talk to legal experts."
Jarkiholi also urged the Special Investigation Team probing the case, to investigate his FIR first.
"I request the Commissioner... If I have committed a mistake, I will appear myself," he said, adding that the money and gold that is said to have been recovered from places linked to the woman and others need to be investigated first.
"I dislodged one government and installed another," he said.
Jarkiholi, then Congress minister, is said to have played an instrumental role in the political turmoil that led to the fall of the Congress-JDS coalition government in July 2019.
"Whats this? I will face more such complaints,"Jarkiholi said, adding that he had told Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai the names of those behind the conspiracy on day one, and "everything will come out".
To a question, he ruled out applying for bail for now.
A day after news channels aired videos of the alleged sex scandal, Jarkiholi, who was Water Resources Minister in Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa-led cabinet, had resigned on March 3.
Jarkiholi has repeatedly claimed that he was innocent and that the video was "fake".
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
