Industrialist Sajjan Jindal, the chairman and managing director of the $23-billion JSW Group, has denied the allegations of rape levelled against him by a 30-year-old Mumbai woman. In an official statement, Jindal said the charge was “false and baseless.” The woman, whose social media profile describes her as a doctor-turned-actress, has accused Sajjan Jindal, 64, of raping her after promising to marry her.
“I am 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,” said the statement, issued by the industrialist in his personal capacity.
The complainant claimed that she met Jindal at a cricket match in Dubai a few years ago, which led to a friendship and subsequently to the industrialist getting attracted to her. She said she visited Jindal at his office around 7 pm in January 2022, where he allegedly raped her in the penthouse at Bandra Kurla Complex and promised to marry her.
The woman approached the police on February 16, and the first information report (FIR) was filed at the BKC police station in Mumbai on December 13 under sections 376 (rape), 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
She claimed she first met Jindal in October 2021 in Dubai when the two were in the VIP box of a stadium, watching an IPL match. They later met at the wedding of MP Praful Patel’s son.
She claimed she later met Jindal inside a star hotel in suburban Bandra and south Mumbai’s Jindal Mansion and also went on a drive with him in a car before the alleged sexual assault.
In the FIR, she mentioned that Jindal has been avoiding contact with her since the alleged sexual assault.
The BKC police station in Mumbai said that based on the actress’ statements, the accused Sajjan Jindal was booked under sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or use of criminal force on a woman intending to outrage her modesty), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
The complainant said when she approached the BKC police on February 16, 2023, the police barely scribbled down a rough statement.
“They didn’t even give me a copy of the statement. No FIR was filed. Finally, on December 5, 2023, I filed a writ petition against the police in the Bombay High Court. After the court order, the FIR was filed,” she said.
