'False and baseless': JSW Group's Sajjan Jindal denies rape charges, says will cooperate throughout probe

JSW Group Managing Director Sajjan Jindal on Sunday rejected rape charges against him and said he was committed to providing full cooperation throughout the investigation. "Mr. Sajjan Jindal denies these false and baseless allegations. He is 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 a statement issued on his behalf.

The statement comes just hours after reports emerged saying that the Mumbai Police had filed an FIR (first information report) against the steel baron at a police station in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) area of Mumbai on a complaint of a 30-year-old woman. The Mumbai Police has booked Sajjan Jindal under IPC 376 (rape), IPC 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and IPC 503 (criminal intimidation).

As per the FIR, the incident allegedly took place in January 2022 at Jindal's Mumbai office. As per the FIR, Jindal allegedly asked her to come to his office in the BKC area of Mumbai again. The woman claimed in the complaint that she went there at around 7 pm and he allegedly raped her in the penthouse of the building. She further alleged that he promised to marry her and asked her to not shout as this was his office building. 

The FIR also alleged that during their interactions via text messages, Jindal expressed romantic feelings for the woman despite being married. She also claimed that the BKC police did not pay any heed to her FIR filed in February this year and was forced to approach the Bombay High Court. The court asked the BKC police to register the complaint.