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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Karnataka Examinations Authority eases advance fee rule for high-fee medical seats in first round
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has relaxed its advance payment rule for candidates allotted high-fee medical, dental, and homeopathy seats in the first round of counselling.
KEA Executive Director H. Prasanna on Thursday announced that candidates allotted seats with course fees above ₹12 lakh and opting for Choice-2 will now be required to pay only ₹12,00,117 as an advance instead of the full course fee. SC/ST and Category-1 candidates will pay ₹2 lakh. The remaining amount must be paid after the announcement of the second-round allotment results.
Previously, Choice-2 medical candidates had to pay the entire fee upfront. The revised rule applies only to seats costing more than ₹12 lakh; those allotted ‘G’ category medical seats must continue to pay as per the earlier instructions.
Candidates securing seats under the All India Quota (AIQ) or in other states before the second-round results can cancel their KEA seat. In such cases, the advance amount will be transferred to the new college, or refunded in the case of SC/ST and Category-1 candidates. However, if they cancel without securing another seat through AIQ or other state counselling, the advance—₹12,00,117 or ₹2 lakh for reserved categories—will be forfeited.
Option entry for the first round closes on August 16. Choice-1 candidates must pay the fees by August 18, download the allotment order, and report to their respective colleges by August 19. Colleges have been instructed to remain open on all days, including public holidays such as Independence Day.
