Karnataka minister Ramesh Jarkiholi resigns after sex scandal

Karnataka Water Resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has tendered his resignation on Wednesday after charges of sexual harassment were brought against him. In his resignation letter, Jarkiholi has said, “... allegations against me are far from the truth. A clear investigation is needed. I'll come out as innocent and I'm confident about it. I'm resigning on moral grounds and I request you to accept this.” Ramesh Jarkiholi's resignation has been accepted by Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa and sent to the Governor for approval.

The video, apparently showing the Karnataka minister getting intimate with an unidentified woman, was widely aired by Kannada news channels as a sex-for-jobs scandal. The minister's brother, BJP MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi, has sought a CBI probe into the allegations and has threatened to file a ₹ 100 crore suit against those who released the "fake CD". Ramesh Jarkiholi, an MLA from Gokak, was earlier with the Congress. He was among the chief architects in the downfall of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in 2019. He organized defections that helped the BJP come to power in Karnataka, and was rewarded with a ministry by Chief Minister Yediyurappa.

Activist Dinesh Kallahalli on Tuesday filed a police complaint against Ramesh Jarkiholi, accusing him of sex harassment of a "job aspirant" and threatening her and family. Ramesh Jarkiholi had said he was "shocked" to hear the allegations and that the video was "100 per cent fake". Reacting to the sex CD scandal, Karnataka Home Minister B Bommai said, "An inquiry is being conducted as per law. Our party will take a decision on taking action against him."