NEW DELHI: Wife of sacked Delhi Minister Sandeep Kumar, who has been arrested on charges of raping a woman, has come out in support of her husband, saying that he has been "falsely implicated" in the sex tape scandal.
"My husband is innocent, I stand by him. Rape charges against my husband are wrong," said Ritu Kumar on Sunday.
Mr Kumar, 36, has claimed innocence. He was produced in a Delhi court on Sunday which sent him to police custody for a day. The Aam Aadmi Party has cancelled Mr Kumar's party membership and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has recommended "exemplary punishment" if proven guilty.
Mrs Kumar said the charges were part of a political conspiracy and her husband was innocent. She said the entire family was with Mr Kumar at this hour.
In her complaint, the 40-year-old woman, who is from Himachal Pradesh but has lived in Delhi for almost 20 years and has two children, said she had gone to meet Mr Kumar at his Sultanpuri office for a ration card 11 months ago.
She alleged that Mr Kumar gave her a spiked drink after which she fell unconscious. Mr Kumar, she alleged, then took her to his house where she was raped and filmed.
Mr Kumar, who joined the Delhi cabinet as its youngest minister, has been booked on charges of rape, transmission of material containing sexually explicit act and taking illegal gratification.