Update: On Thursday evening, Khabri Baba’s attention was drawn to a February 5, 2020 court order by a Bengaluru family court which prevents the press from reporting on the details of an ongoing property dispute between Sachin Bansal and his wife Priya. The content of Khabri Baba’s report, shown below is based on media reporting of the FIR filed by Priya with the Koramangala police station, which, to our understanding, is a matter in the public domain and not subject to a gag order.
New Delhi: Priya Bansal has filed a case of harassment against her husband, Flipkart co-founder and technology entrepreneur Sachin Bansal, and three of his family members. She has accused them of seeking dowry and gifts and torturing her physically and mentally. In the complaint, Priya has also accused Sachin of sexually assaulting her sister.
In her complaint filed with the Koramangala police station in Bengaluru, Priya alleged hr husband and his family demanded “dowry and gifts” at the time of their marriage. Besides Sachin, Priya has also named his father Sat Prakash Agarwal, mother Kiran Bansal and brother Nitin Bansal in the complaint.
Priya Bansal said that her father spent Rs 50 lakh on her wedding and gave Sachin Rs 11 lakh in cash in lieu of a car. She charged that thereafter, Sachin also pressurised her to transfer her properties to his name. She claimed that when she refused to do so, she was harassed by her in-laws. It is believed that the duo got married circa 2008.
Incidentally, Sachin had founded Flipkart along with Binny Bansal in 2007. The company grew exponentially over the next 11 years, till the Bansal duo sold their stakes. Walmart picked up 77% shares of the company for $16 billion in 2018. Sachin, who held a 5.5% stake in the company and was its chief executive officer, is learnt to have pocketed a little over $1 billion (approximately Rs 7,300 crore) from the deal.
The Koramangala police registered an FIR on the basis of Priya’s complaint on February 28. In the FIR, Priya has stated: “Post wedding, it was decided that it I will stay with my husband. Before the wedding, in-laws visited my home and asked for more dowry. My husband and in-laws have been giving me mental and physical torture since the wedding for dowry. When my sister (name withheld) was in Delhi, Sachin had sexually assaulted her. Sachin had tried to transfer all properties in my name to his name and when I refused, Sachin had physically assaulted me on 20 October 2019. I have been tortured mentally and physically by in-laws for dowry.”
According to news reports, the police may soon summon Sachin for questioning, but his family is not in the city. The investigation into the case has been taken up. The FIR was registered on February 28, under Section 498(a) (husband’s family inflicting cruelty and driving victim to suicide or cause grave injury) and 34 (criminal intent) of Indian Penal Code and under Section 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
A day after the FIR was filed, Bansal applied for bail. A local court is expected to adjudicate on his plea on Thursday.
Update: On Thursday evening, Khabri Baba’s attention was drawn to a February 5, 2020 court order by a Bengaluru family court which prevents the press from reporting on the details of an ongoing property dispute between Bansal and his wife Priya. The content of Khabri Baba’s report, shown above, is based on media reporting of the FIR filed by Priya with the Koramangala police station, which, to our understanding, is a matter in the public domain and not subject to a gag order.
