She was also allegedly pressured to withdraw or compromise on her rape charges against a Mumbai-based industrialist, whose firm is executing a steel plant project in Andhra Pradesh, and who is said to have a cordial relationship with former chief minister and YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy.
On 28 December, 2023, the industrialist had visited Reddy at his Tadepalli camp office. At the time, officials stated that the purpose of the meeting was to update the CM on the status of the Kadapa Steel Plant.
A steel plant in Kadapa, a YSR stronghold, was proposed in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014.
However, the Steel Authority of India Limited lost interest in the plan by 2018 citing feasibility issues.
In 2019, YSR Steel Corporation Limited was formed by Jagan as a fully owned undertaking of the Government of Andhra Pradesh to set up a 3 million tonnes per annum steel plant in Kadapa district. He laid the foundation stone for the plant in December 2019. However, with the project not progressing, the YSRCP government roped in private firms to set up the plant in association with AP government.
The Kadapa steel plant has been an emotive election issue on YSR’s home-turf.
So, in 2023, the Jagan government partnered with the Mumbai-based firm to set up the plant in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh government. Reddy laid the foundation for the Rs 8,800 crore greenfield plant for the second time in February 2023.
The three IPS officers, now suspended, were among several awaiting postings since the Chandrababu Naidu government came to power. These officers are perceived as being close to the YSRCP. In Jethwani’s case, they were reportedly acting on the direction of top leaders to clear the name of the prominent industrialist.
The three separate suspension orders issued Sunday by state Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad, copies of which ThePrint has accessed, state that “there is prima facie evidence (against the officers) and that the disciplinary proceedings are warranted for grave misconduct and dereliction of duty”
The decision to suspend the IPS officers was based on a detailed inquiry report received from the Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada “regarding allegations on investigation in Crime No. 90/2024 u/s 384,385,386,388,420,457,468,471 r/w 12 (B) IPC against an actress from Mumbai Kum. Kadambari Narendra Kumari Jethwani”.
The sections relate to extortion, forgery and cheating etc deeds.
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The allegations
In December 2023, a case against Sajjan Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Steel, was lodged on the complaint of Jethwani, who alleged that the industrialist had sexually assaulted her for two years between October 2021 and January 2022. The complainant claims she had visited the police station multiple times but her complaint was filed and FIR registered only after the Bombay High Court advised the police to do so.
The FIR was registered at the BKC police station in Mumbai on 13 December under IPC sections 376 (rape), 354 (outraging modesty of a woman) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
In March 2024, though, the Mumbai Police filed a closure report citing “lack of evidence”, “delay in filing case”, and “malicious intent”.
The primary reason for the closure report was the complainant’s failure to provide evidence to support her claims and her absence from court despite multiple notices.
In his statement, Jindal had said, “the allegations against him are baseless, done with malicious intent and the case was filed to extort money from him.”
In August, two months after the YSRCP was defeated and the TDP-led alliance came to power, Jethwani, a physician by training, former Miss Gujarat and an actress, approached the Andhra Pradesh Police in Vijayawada.
In her complaint, she accused top police officials and others of conspiring with local businessman and YSRCP leader Kukkala Vidyasagar to falsely accuse her of forgery in a land deal case in AP and extortion, resulting in a case being registered against her by the Ibrahimpatnam Police near Vijayawada.
On 30 August, Jethwani had said to reporters in Vijayawada that she had been “dragged into this without [her] consent, illegally and unlawfully”. Her lawyer, N. Srinivas Rao, also spoke to the media, alleging that “senior officers had harassed Jethwani to force her into compromising on the case in Mumbai”.
“As per her statement, some bigwigs are involved, but since she is an outsider, she’s unaware of their identity. All this is not possible without any political influence,” Rao reportedly said, adding that police officers were working hand in glove with some influential persons.
Speaking to media persons Monday, Jethwani said that there is “higher level of political influence, money and power involved” in her case. “There was an FIR filed by me in December 2023 against a corporate honcho back in Mumbai. During the investigation period of that case all this orchestration, charade was carried out. I believe all this was to shield the reputation of the Mumbai accused. Police officials, Vidyasagar and other higher political powers in Andhra all connived, conspired to falsely assassinate my character and falsely make out a culprit of me. It is totally false, a baseless case against me.”
Jethwani said she could not appear before the Mumbai Police in the alleged rape case during February first half as she, her family was illegally arrested, and her devices seized. Jethwani said she was arrested on 3 February during the Mumbai case investigation period, which is why she could not record her statement. “I was kidnapped, to state the facts”.
The role of the 3 officers
The orders said that on 31 January, 2024, Anjaneyulu (then Director General of Police, Intelligence) called Tata (then Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada Police Commissionerate) and Gunni (then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada Police Commissionerate) to the Chief Minister’s Office and instructed them to arrest Jethwani, “although no crime has been registered in this regard as on that date”.
Records show that the FIR against Jethwani was registered on 2 February, 2024, morning.
“Anjaneyulu initiated and pushed the case based on incomplete information, abusing his authority and official position and played a key role in fast tracking the investigation without adequate scrutiny, which is nothing but connivance and misuse of power. His acts amount to grave misconduct, misuse of official position and dereliction of duty,” his suspension orders state.
The orders regarding Tata indicated that he acted hastily based on Anjaneyulu’s oral instructions. On the same day (31 January, 2024), Tata issued verbal directions to his subordinate officers and instructed his office to arrange air tickets for them to fly to Mumbai.
The orders also noted that Tata failed to ensure that the complaint against Jethwani, lodged by Vidyasagar, was thoroughly examined and that a basic investigation was conducted before sending a team of officers to another state to arrest Jethwani.
Flight tickets for Gunni and a few other officers were booked on 1 February, 2024, while the FIR was registered the next day. On further instructions, the commissioner’s office booked another set of flight tickets for Satyanarayana, the then Inspector Ibrahimpatnam, and others including four women officers, and constables.
“Thus, Tata enabled and indulged in the illegal arrest of Kumari Jethwani,” the order said.
Gunni’s suspension orders said that the DCP upon Anjaneyulu’s oral instructions, “hastily proceeded to Mumbai on 2 February to effect arrests and arrested Kumari Jethwani”.
“FIR was registered on 02.02.2024 at 6:30 AM and as predetermined, Gunni, IPS proceeded to Mumbai on 02.02.2024 at 7:30 AM, without any written instructions or without any foreign passport from his superior officers in this regard. That this conduct makes it extremely clear that action was initiated well before the crime was registered and that the officer was acting solely based on the prior instructions of the then Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada and the then Director General of Police, Intelligence issued on 31.01.2024 i.e. even before registration of the crime (sic).”
It was further reported that Gunni did not even claim his travel allowance (TA), though he went to Mumbai on official work.
“He failed to give an opportunity to the persons arrested to give explanation, nor did he conduct any investigation before high-handedly arresting her (Jethwani). The whole act was carried out within a few hours of registration of FIR, without proper documentary or material evidence, which is nothing but sheer disregard to the basic tenets of investigation (sic),” Gunni’s suspension order said.
All three suspension orders observed that the accused officers have “all the ability and wherewithal to influence the witnesses and accomplices involved in the episode and it is very likely that he will proceed to Mumbai and also make all out efforts to destroy the available evidence/ records.”
Thus stating, the government asked Anjaneyulu, Tata and Gunni to be stationed at Vijayawada and “not leave the Headquarters without obtaining permission”.
One ACP K. Hanumantha Rao and Ibrahimpatnam Circle Inspector M. Satyanarayana were suspended last week in connection with the Jethwani case, for allegedly harassing her in the land deal case.
When contacted by ThePrint via call, Anjaneyulu refused to respond to the suspension orders “issued with immediate effect”, and the allegations against him. “I do not wish to talk to anyone on the matter,” the suspended officer said.
However, a report in Sakshi, a newspaper owned by Jagan’s family, said that the officers are contemplating moving the Central Administrative Tribunal against the orders.
“Naidu has apparently extended his political vendetta onto the AIS officers too. The searches, arrests and transit and remands were all following legal procedures, court orders. Where is the question of acting unfairly, illegally in this case?” Kakani Govardhan Reddy, a senior YSRCP leader and former minister told ThePrint
“When the courts were satisfied with the proceedings, why is the TDP-led government having any issue? The suspension orders don’t also mention the steel tycoon matter. It is focussed on flippant points like when the FIR was lodged. Be it anywhere, under any regime, everyone knows how cases are registered at the police stations,” he added.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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