In connection with the case of alleged rape involving a woman by the suspended Additional Home Secretary JP Joshi and the counter FIR lodged by him against the woman and other two persons, the woman complainant, JP Joshi and a suspended Congress leader Ritu Kandiyal appeared in the district session court on Thursday. The statement of the woman complainant was recorded in camera. The court has set October 1 for the next hearing of the case.
Quizzed by the media over the possibility of hers softening her statement over the aforesaid case as part of a mutual understanding, the woman complainant said, “Whatsoever happened with me, I had recorded it in the statement taken in- camera.” She denied any deal struck with the accused in Suddhowala jail where they all are being kept. In regard to the case, the Dehradun court had framed charges against JP Joshi under Sections 376, 506, 366 and 511 of the IPC. They applied Sections 376/109/506 of IPC against the expelled Congress member Ritu Kandiyal on April 25.
Meanwhile, Joshi, who had been suspended from the post of additional secretary, home after the alleged rape came to light is being kept in Sudhowala jail.
He was charged with raping the woman on the pretext of getting her a job. However, Joshi had lodged cases against some persons, alleging that they had blackmailed him, asking for Rs three crore to have the matter settled out of court. Kandiyal was arrested on charges of blackmailing Joshi with the help of others.
In this case, police had already filed chargesheets against the accused figuring in the case like the suspended joint secretary (social welfare) SS Waldia, expelled Samajwadi Party leader Neeraj Chauhan, Shiny Mac Khan, Amit Garg and some others aside from the principal three accused. All of them are now being kept in Suddhowala jail.
However, on the basis of the counter FIR lodged by Joshi, the special police team is yet to arrest the two accused who had allegedly demanded Rs three crore from Joshi for the ‘settlement’ of the case. The district court had already declared the accused duo absconders.
It should be mentioned here that a zero FIR case was filed at Pandavnagar police station in East Delhi on November 22 2013 by the woman, who alleged that Joshi had been sexually exploiting her for the past two years on the promise of getting her a job.
The FIR had been transferred to the Dehradun Kotwali on November 25, 2013.
In collection with the case, Joshi had registered a counter-FIR under Sections 355/304 of IPC against the woman and two other persons in Vasant Vihar police station.