October 1, 2025
FORREST CITY, Ark. — On Monday, September 29, 2025, Dr. Sudesh Banaji, 61, of Forrest City, was found guilty of six counts of Second-Degree Sexual Assault in St. Francis County Circuit Court. The conviction and sentencing were connected to multiple incidents of sexual assaults involving female patients.
Banaji was sentenced to six years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and ordered to pay $90,000 in fines.
The investigation began in August 2023 when the First Judicial District Prosecutor’s Office asked the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to investigate allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with patients during examinations at Banaji’s medical clinic in Forrest City.
Following the investigation, ASP CID Special Agents arrested Banaji on August 26, 2024.