No deadline for SIT to probe Ramesh Jarkiholi sex scandal, says Bommai

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sex scandal allegedly involving former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has not been given any “time frame or deadline” to submit a report to the government, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Thursday.

The state government constituted the SIT, headed by IPS officer Soumendu Mukherjee, on Wednesday.

Read: I knew about sex CD 4 months ago, says Ramesh Jarkiholi

“The SIT will do a comprehensive probe. It will look into all developments, including the withdrawal of the complaint given to the Cubbon Park police station and everything that has happened. We have to give police full freedom and we can’t fix a time frame or deadline,” Bommai said.

“But, we have told the SIT that it should do it soon so that the truth comes out before the people of the state,” the minister added.

On March 3, a day after news channels aired videos of the alleged sex scandal, Ramesh resigned as the Water Resources minister. He has repeatedly claimed that the video is fake. On Tuesday, he wrote to Bommai seeking a probe into this “conspiracy” against him.

Read | Twist in 'sex for job' scandal: Activist Dinesh Kallahalli withdraws complaint against Ramesh Jarkiholi

“Based on whatever comes out of the preliminary inquiry, an FIR will be filed and further investigation will continue,” Bommai said.

Responding to Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar’s argument that a probe was unnecessary if the video itself was fake, Bommai said: “We still have to investigate who made the fake CD, where and when.”

BJP legislator and Ramesh’s brother Balachandra Jarkiholi has said that a complaint will be filed soon naming people who were behind the conspiracy. Bommai said he had no further information on this.