On Wednesday (13th December), a complaint of rape was filed against Sajjan Jindal, managing director of the JSW Group, by an actress at BKC police station in Mumbai. The complainant said that the crime took place in January 2022 in the penthouse of the head office of the company located in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
According to the complainant, the police did not book any case despite the complaint being lodged earlier in 2023. Now, this case is registered after the court ordered to book an FIR.
According to the victim woman’s statement, she initially encountered Jindal in October 2021 in Dubai, where they were both present in the VIP box of a stadium, enjoying an IPL match. Subsequently, they crossed paths in Jaipur during the wedding of MP Praful Patel’s son.
The actress claimed that Jindal’s behaviour turned increasingly intimate and intrusive following their meeting in Mumbai. Despite her repeated rejections of his advances, she alleged that Jindal ultimately forced himself upon her.
She said in her complaint, “We had exchanged numbers and met in Mumbai because he had expressed interest in buying property from my brother who is a real estate consultant in Dubai. He started addressing me as ‘babe’ and ‘baby’, and described all the problems in his marriage when we first met alone, which made me very awkward.” She further mentioned that gestures such as hugs and flirtatious advances on his part contributed to her discomfort.
The complainant stated that in their subsequent text message exchanges, Jindal conveyed romantic feelings towards her, notwithstanding his marital status. She mentioned, “He also tried to kiss me and talked about getting physically intimate, which I shot down, saying that could happen only after we were married.”
According to her complaint, in January 2022, during a meeting at the company’s headquarters, Jindal escorted the actress to the penthouse. Despite her persistent protests and refusals, she claimed, that Jindal imposed himself on her. The complainant mentioned that despite the incident, she attempted to sustain a friendship with him. However, he ceased responding to her and eventually blocked her number. She said, “Before blocking my number in June 2022, he threatened me with dire consequences if I approached the police.”
In February 2023, she submitted a written complaint to the BKC police, but as per the actress, her repeated complaints were ignored. She said, “I approached the police on February 16, 2023. They barely scribbled down a rough statement. They didn’t even give me a copy of that statement. No FIR was filed. Finally, on December 5, 2023, I filed a writ petition against the police in Bombay High Court.” Consequently, she sought legal recourse and approached the Bombay High Court, which mandated the BKC police to officially register the complaint.
According to an official from the BKC police, the accused businessman has been charged under Sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, based on the actress’s statements. He stated that ongoing investigations are being conducted into the matter.
DCP Deekshitkumar Gedam said, “Mumbai Police is doing everything legally as per procedure. There wasn’t any delay from our side in filing the FIR. We take matters related to women’s safety very seriously. We are following the legal course of action in the matter.”
