Delhi court orders FIR against complainant in Samir Modi case over extortion claims

A south Delhi court has directed the police to register a first information report against the complainant who accused businessman Samir Modi of rape in September, observing that allegations of extortion raised earlier had not been examined, according to a report by The Economic Times.

The court order followed a plea by Modi, who informed the court that police failed to act on complaints he filed in August in which he stated that he was in an intimate relationship with the woman and alleged that she had attempted to extort money from him. Modi further alleged that the woman carried out her threats by filing a rape complaint against him on September 10.

Taking note of these submissions, the court ordered the registration of an FIR to investigate the extortion allegations, stating that they appeared to have been overlooked before the rape case was lodged.

The woman who accused Modi of rape was employed at Godfrey Phillips India as an executive assistant to the chief executive officer of its 24Seven retail chain. She has alleged that Modi subjected her to physical exploitation and rape since 2019.

Delhi Police arrested Modi on September 18 after an FIR was registered on the rape charges. He was subsequently granted bail in the case on September 25.

Modi is a promoter of Godfrey Phillips India and is involved in a legal dispute with his mother, Bina Modi, over control of the company. He has alleged that she violated the terms governing the distribution of the family inheritance. He was removed from the board of the tobacco company last year amid an ongoing family feud.