Uttarakhand Minister Rekha Arya files FIR against husband amid corruption claims

Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya has filed a police complaint against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, alleging physical assault, harassment, caste-based abuse, and a conspiracy to kill her. The FIR, registered at the Dehradun Cantonment police station, includes charges related to fraud and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Arya also alleged that Sahu concealed a previous marriage and used forged documents to falsely claim she had resigned from corporate directorships.

In response, Sahu released a video accusing Arya of accumulating illegal assets worth Rs 210 crore and called for a government investigation. He dismissed an audio recording, which Arya claims captures a murder plot, as “fake, AI-generated and fabricated.” Arya has refuted these corruption claims, describing her financial history as an “open book” and suggesting the allegations are a tactic to force her to withdraw the criminal complaint.

Uttarakhand Police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Superintendent of Police Jaya Baluni, to probe the allegations made by the minister. The SIT is currently collecting evidence, including audio recordings that have been sent for forensic examination to determine their authenticity. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Congress has demanded the dismissal of Minister Arya, citing the gravity of the corruption allegations.