News Analysis India

Tag: Mahesh Joshi

  • Delhi Police to arrest Rajasthan Minister’s son in Jaipur in connection with rape case

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police team on Sunday reached Jaipur to nab Rohit Joshi, the son of Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi in connection with a case wherein he is accused by a 23-year-old woman of raping her, officials said.

    “Our team of officers have reached Jaipur in connection with the case to nab Joshi who has been absconding. Our teams are conducting search to locate and trace him,” said a senior police officer.

    This comes days after a 23-year-old woman from Jaipur has alleged that Rohit Joshi, the son of Rajasthan Minister for Public Health Engineering, raped her on multiple occasions over a year, following which the Delhi Police has registered a zero FIR initially.

    Later, the zero FIR was covered into a regular FIR since the allegations of commission of sexual assault committed in Sadar Bazar police station jurisdiction has also been mentioned, investigation was taken up, police had said.

    The case was registered on May 8 at a police station in North District under sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc.

    , with intent to commit an offence), 312 (causing miscarriage), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her mar­riage, etc), 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, the police said.

    In her complaint, the woman alleged that she was raped on several occasions between January 8 last year and April 17 this year.

    The woman had said she developed friendship with Rohit Joshi on Facebook last year and since then they have been in contact.

    The two met in Jaipur first and he allegedly invited her to Sawai Madhopur on January 8, 2021. During their first meeting, she alleged, he spiked her drink and took advantage of it.

    When she woke up the next morning, he showed her naked photographs and videos which worried her, reads the FIR.

    Mentioning about another meeting, she had alleged that Rohit Joshi had also once met her in Delhi and forced himself upon her.

    “Rohit made me stay at a hotel where he got our names registered as husband and wife. He then promised to marry me…but then he got drunk and abused me…He would beat me up and make obscene videos of me. He would threaten to upload them and make them viral…,” the woman alleged.

    She further stated that on August 11, 2021, she found out that she was pregnant with his baby and alleged that he forced her up take a pill but she didn’t, the complainant stated in the FIR. A zero FIR can be registered anywhere in the country.

  • Need to refrain from speculation, truth will emerge in probe: Minister over rape case against son

    By PTI

    JAIPUR/NEW DELHI: Rajasthan minister Mahesh Joshi on Monday said people should refrain from speculating over the rape case lodged against his son and stressed that “police will do justice” as the BJP accused the state government of trying to save the accused.

    State Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra too assured action against the minister’s son if found guilty.

    The FIR against the state public health and engineering department minister’s son Rohit Joshi was lodged in Delhi by a 23-year-old woman, who alleged that she was raped multiple times over a year.

    After lodging a zero FIR, the Delhi Police said they informed about it to the Rajasthan Police, which will conduct further investigation. The complaint also mentions that she was raped in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.

    However, Sawai Madhopur Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar Vishnoi said on Monday that they have not received any FIR from the Delhi Police yet.

    Meanwhile, a Delhi police officer said they have started the process to convert the zero FIR into the regular one as the commission of sexual assault committed in the Delhi’s Sadar Bazar police station jurisdiction have also been mentioned.

    Reacting to the allegations against his son, Joshi said, “Instead of speculation and the media trial in this case, police should be allowed to do their job. I am sure police will do justice, go deep and find out the truth.”

    “All I want to say is that I have spent all my life with truth and justice. As media reported that an FIR has been registered, police should investigate thoroughly and honestly. Be in this episode or any other case, I will always stand with truth and justice,” Joshi told reporters here.

    Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra came to the Joshi’s rescue, saying action will be taken on the basis of the report of the case investigating officer.

    “Be it anyone, whether he is my son or someone else’s son, if he is found guilty, then the Congress party will 100 per cent take action,” Dotsara said.

    The Opposition BJP in the state alleged that the state government is trying to save the accused. “It is unfortunate that the government is trying to save the accused. It is the Congress culture, which tries to cover up such cases eventually, which is unfortunate,” Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria said.

    State Mines Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya defended Joshi, saying allegations and counter-allegations are part of politics. Many things are concocted and they have no basis, he said.

    Meanwhile, Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said the woman’s counselling was conducted and she was medically examined at Hindu Rao Hospital.

    Since the allegations of commission of sexual assault committed in the Delhi’s Sadar Bazar police station jurisdiction have also been mentioned, investigation has been taken up and the further process has been started to convert the same into a regular FIR, he said.

    The case was registered on May 8 at a police station in Delhi’s North District under Sections 312 (causing miscarriage), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, the Delhi Police had said.

    The woman has alleged that Rohit Joshi raped her several times from January 8 last year to April 17 this year, promising to marry her.

  • It’s complicated matter, don’t think it requires media trials: Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi on Alwar rape case

    By ANI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi on Saturday called the Alwar rape case a “complicated matter” in which a specially-abled girl was found lying in a distressed condition.

    “It’s a complicated matter. I don’t think it requires media trials. The investigation is underway and everything will be made clear,” Joshi told media persons today.

    Speaking about the law and order situation of the state, he said that people can today register FIRs without any fear as criminals are afraid.

    “Today people can register FIR without any fear as criminals are afraid because police are doing good work,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gulab Chand Kataria said that the party has demanded a CBI enquiry in a time-bound manner.

    “We have demanded a CBI enquiry in a time-bound manner. There should be no delay in the probe and a result should be out soon… It’s state government’s responsibility to nab the accused,” Kataria said.

    Earlier on January 16, the Rajasthan government decided to hand over the Alwar rape case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

    The Alwar case, where a specially-abled girl was found lying in a distressed condition, took a political turn on Saturday after the opposition parties started blaming the ruling Congress for suppressing the case. Earlier, the Police said that medical reports of the girl had ruled out rape.

  • Delhi Police summons Rajasthan Congress chief whip for questioning in phone tapping case

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has sent a notice to Congress chief whip in the Rajasthan Assembly Mahesh Joshi asking him to appear before it on June 24 for questioning in the phone tapping case lodged on a complaint by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

    The police have asked Joshi to reach the Prashant Vihar office of the Crime Branch in Rohini for the questioning.

    Joshi confirmed he had received the notice on Tuesday but said he would not be able to appear before the Crime Branch on June 24.

    “I will not be able to appear before the Crime Branch in Delhi on the said date. A reply to the notice will be given today,” Joshi told PTI.

    The Congress leader said he was not named in the FIR that was registered by the police on the complaint lodged by Shekhawat, who is also the BJP MP from Jodhpur.

    The phone-tapping controversy erupted in July last year in Rajasthan.

    Audio clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced amidst a rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot by his then deputy Sachin Pilot and 18 party MLAs supporting him.

    Congress leaders of Gehlot’s camp had alleged that BJP leaders were indulging in horse-trading to topple the state government.

    On the basis of Shekhawat’s complaint, the Delhi Police registered an FIR in March this year against Gehlot’s Officer on Special Duty Lokesh Sharma and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telegraphic signals (telephonic conversation).

    Sharma has rejected the allegations.

    He had approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the FIR against him.

    Earlier this month, the court asked the Delhi Police not to take any coercive action against Sharma till the next date of hearing — August 6.

    Joshi had lodged complaints regarding the audio clips of conversations purportedly about attempts to topple the Rajasthan government with the state police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) last year.

    However, the Rajasthan Police FIR did not mention that Gajendra Singh referred to in the clip was Union minister Shekhawat.

    The SOG ultimately closed the case after the Congress high command intervened to resolve the issues between Gehlot and Pilot.

    PTI AG SDA DIV DIV 06231138 NNNN

  • Former Madhya Pradesh Minister, Congress leader Mahesh Joshi dies

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Minister Mahesh Joshi died at a private hospital here after a prolonged illness, his family sources said on Saturday.

    He was 82.

    Joshi died Friday late night, they said.

    The three-time MLA was first elected to the state assembly in 1967 from Indore-1 constituency.

    He was later elected twice from Indore-3 assembly segment.

    Joshi became a state minister in 1985.

    His mortal remains would be consigned to flames in his home district Indore on Saturday.

    Meanwhile, state Congress chief Kamal Nath expressed grief over his death.

    Taking to Twitter, Nath said Joshi’s death was an irreparable loss to the party.