Industrialist Shyam Bhartia says allegations of rape are made with clear malafide intent

Jubilant FoodWorks chairperson Shyam Bhartia denies rape allegations by actress

Jubilant FoodWorks Chairman Shyam Sundar Bhartia has denied the recent allegations of rape and filming of it against him as “baseless, false and defamatory”, according to a statement by the company.

According to the company, Bhartia has said that the allegations were made with ”clear malafide intent“.

The company said that the Bombay High Court has directed the police to investigate the case on its own merits, while also clarifying that the court has not commented on the merits of the complaint in any manner. It said that Bhartia will fully cooperate with investigation agencies as and when called upon to do so.

“As the investigation in this matter is ongoing, no additional comments can be made at this stage Shyam S Bhartia has further requested that the privacy of the family be respected,” the statement said.

An FIR has been lodged by Thane police against businessman Shyam Sundar Bhartia and his associate Bombay High Court for rape charges and filming the rape and money fraud allegations. The actress approached the Bombay High Court against the Police for not registering her complaint and the Police agreed to file an FIR before the High Court.

Industrialist Shyam Bhartia (73) is the owner of Jubilant Group engaged in food products, medical, aerospace, auto, and oil field, and husband of media baron Shobhana Bhartia, chairperson of ‘Hindustan Times’ Group newspapers.

The actress approached the High Court through her advocates, Mohammed Ahmed and Sofiya Shaikh, seeking judicial intervention. She alleged that despite filing a complaint on November 11, 2024, no action had been taken by the police. During a recent hearing, Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Dr. Neela Gokhale questioned the police about this delay.[1]

During arguments, the advocates of the petitioner actress demanded an explanation from the Thane Police Commissioner via video conferencing. Subsequently, ACP Rajkumar Dongre instructed the Additional Public Prosecutor to confirm that an FIR would be registered after recording the actress’ statement.

The court clarified that the investigation must proceed based on its merits. The FIR includes charges related to rape, intentional insult, criminal intimidation, and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

According to the complaint filed by the actress, she met Jubilant Food Works Chairman Shyam Sundar Bhartia through his associate Pooja Singh at a Mumbai hotel. Bhartia expressed interest in investing in her project and later invited her to Singapore for further discussions. Upon arriving in Singapore on May 18, 2023, she alleged that Bhartia and Pooja Singh intoxicated her against her will.

The actress alleged that Shyam Bhartia brutally raped her while his associate Pooja Singh recorded it. The abuse reportedly continued over three days. She also alleged that Bhartia and Singh used the video to threaten her into meeting them multiple times in hotels in Mumbai and Delhi.

The actress alleged that she and Pooja Singh floated a company, where Shyam Bhartia promised to invest Rs.50 crore. However, by March 18, 2024, only Rs.9.44 crore were invested and Pooja Singh fraudulently transferred this amount to her account without informing the actress. The actress accused Pooja Singh of misusing her digital signatures to remove her from the Directorship of the company. The Bombay High Court disposed of the petition but made it clear that “the police must investigate the case based on its merits.”

Reference:

[1] FIR filed against industrialist Shyam Bhartia for rape and filming charges by Bollywood actress – Feb 24, 2024, PGurus.com

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