Delhi Police books Sonia Gandhi's personal secretary; here's why

Sonia Gandhi's personal secretary P P Madhavan, however, denied the allegations, saying that the "false" charges were aimed at vilifying his image out of political vendetta.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's personal secretary P P Madhavan has been booked by the Delhi Police on charges of rape and criminal intimidation based on a complaint lodged by a 26-year-old woman.

The victim, who lives in Delhi, further alleged that she was raped and threatened with dire consequences by the accused if she reported the matter to the police.

Madhavan, however, denied the allegations, saying that the "false" charges were aimed at vilifying his image out of political vendetta.

Madhavan said he had evidence to prove that the complaint has been made in a pre-concerted manner to settle a political vendetta and that the present complaint is devoid of merits.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) M Harsha Vardhan said that the Uttam Nagar police station received a complaint on June 25 following which a case was registered under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. 

The officer said that investigations were underway on the allegations levelled against 71-year-old Madhavan.

In her FIR, the woman claimed that her financial condition was not good and that she had gone to the Congress office where she got Madhavan's phone number.

In her FIR, she alleged: "I needed a job and he promised to help. On January 21, 2022, he called me for an interview. He went through all my documents and asked many questions. Then he told me that he wanted to marry me. I said yes. One day, he wanted to meet me. He came to pick me up and then asked his driver to leave the car. He sexually assaulted me and tried to rape me. When I objected, he got angry and left me on the road."

The woman's husband, who died in 2020, used to work at the Congress office, the officials said, adding that he used to affix hoardings. 

She further alleged that the accused called her in February to meet him and raped her. Later, he forced me to have sex with someone else, she claimed, adding that when she refused, he allegedly threatened her saying his party have been ruling for 70 years and that he would get her kidnapped.

Madhavan, however, flatly denied all allegations. In a statement, Madhavan said that he has had a long career spanning over 47 years and to date there has not been a single blot on his reputation. He claimed that the FIR was lodged to vilify him and cast aspersions on his career. Madhavn said he would contest the FIR legally and take necessary legal remedies.