Social activist to withdraw complaint of sexual harassment against Ex-Karnataka Minister

 Bengaluru, March 7

In a twist to the alleged sex-for-job scandal in Karnataka, social activist Dinesh Kallahalli on Sunday said he would withdraw his police complaint against BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, which had led to his resignation.

Dinesh Kallahalli said he will withdraw the complaint as he was hurt by allegations of a Rs 5 crore deal levelled by JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy. However, the activist’s lawyer said there were some technical problems due to which the decision was taken.

Meanwhile, Balachandra Jarkiholi, brother of Ramesh Jarkiholi, alleged that there was a big conspiracy in the state in which four teams have been working to ‘malign’ Jarkiholi and target the BJP ahead of assembly elections in five states.

Seeking a CBI probe into the episode, he told reporters here that the video allegedly featuring his brother and a woman was “doctored.”

The activist has accused Jarkiholi of sexually exploiting a woman under the pretext of offering her a job in the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL).

As the matter snowballed into a major controversy, Jarikiholi tendered his resignation to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, which was forwarded to Governor Vajubhai Vala, who accepted it immediately.

Speaking to reporters, Kallahalli said, “I am deeply pained by Kumaraswamy’s charge that I struck a deal for Rs 5 crore. Hence, I decided to withdraw my complaint.”      Kumaraswamy had on Friday alleged that the entire expose was a deal worth Rs 5 crore and demanded that those claiming to have the objectionable video clips should be arrested immediately as it was a "blackmail tactic".     

Kumar Patil, Kallahalli’s lawyer, told the press on Sunday that there were some technical problems due to which his client decided to withdraw the complaint.

To a query, Patil said his client was not the one to succumb to any political pressure.

“My client is not the one to give up his struggle. His objective was to grant justice to the victim,” the lawyer said.

Amid apprehensions of a ‘political conspiracy’ being hatched to defame them, six ministers of the Yediyurappa-led cabinet have secured a court injunction restraining media from airing or publishing any defamatory content against them. --- PTI

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