Ramesh Jarkiholi had resigned as the Karnataka minister on "moral grounds" (File)
The woman who appeared in an alleged sex video with Karnataka BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi has filed a police complaint against the leader through her lawyers. This comes days after the MLA filed a "conspiracy and blackmailing" complaint against unknown people.
"The victim in the CD wants to file a complaint... we are legally assisting her... she has sent a written complaint and we have handed it over to the police commissioner...she has been sexually exploited," her lawyer said.
The alleged sex video that apparently showed the MLA getting intimate with the woman, was widely aired by Kannada news channels as a sex-for-jobs scandal.
After the alleged video triggered an uproar, Mr Jarkiholi had resigned as the Karnataka minister on "moral grounds".
"Allegations against me are far from the truth. Clear investigation is needed. I'll come out innocent and I'm confident about it. I'm resigning on moral grounds and I request you to accept this," he had written in his resignation letter this month.
He had also claimed that the video was "100 percent fake".
An activist had filed a complaint against the MLA, accusing him of sexually harassing a "job aspirant".
In his written complaint, Mr Jarkiholi had named no one but had alleged that some people with an intention to extort money resorted to defaming him.
Mr Jarkiholi was a Congress leader before joining the BJP. He had played a pivotal role in bringing down the Congress-JDS government in 2019, by organising defections to the BJP.
He was questioned in connection with the alleged sex tape recently.
Reacting to the Congress's protest in the state assembly over the matter this week, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had pointed out that the woman had not come forward.
"Our Congress friends have been using lame excuses to hold a dharna during the Budget session yesterday. Ramesh Jarkiholi has taken moral responsibility and resigned. It is being investigated. The woman is not coming forward and giving any clarity. Despite all this, how is it right to hold a dharna? They have no other issues to have a debate," he had said.
With inputs from PTI