Rape Accused Former Minister Chinmayanand Out On Bail

A little over a month after the law student in the Shahjahanpur rape case came out on bail in the extortion case on December 12, the former minister she accused of rape and sexual assault, Chinmayanand has also been granted bail by Allahabad High Court today, ANI reported. The three-time former MP and chairperson of the SS Law College of Shahjahanpur, where the 23-year-old who accused him studied, Chinmayanand was booked in the case of sexual harassment on August 28 last year.

The law student, who was doing a post-graduate course from the college accused Chinmayanand of raping her and molesting her for over a year in a video message that she posted on her FB page. After posting the video which went viral, she went missing and was found by the Delhi Police in Rajasthan. After the girl filed a case of sexual harassment against the minister, he also filed a case of extortion against the girl and three of her male friends. Both were arrested a month after the case garnered media limelight.

Also read: Chinmayanand Case: Law Student’s Family Accuses SIT Of Torture

In September last year, the Shahjahanpur chief judicial magistrate rejected BJP Leader Chinmayanand’s bail plea. After this, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested the law student and sent her to 14-day judicial custody in the extortion case against her.

“The woman was arrested from her residence and taken to the hospital for medical examination. We will later produce her before a magistrate and seek her custody,” Inspector General of Police Naveen Arora, who heads the Special Investigation Team, told Hindustan Times.

The three-time former MP and chairperson of the SS Law College of Shahjahanpur where the 23-year-old who accused him studied, Chinmayanand was booked in the case of sexual harassment on August 28 last year.

Also read: Chinmayanand Case: Law Student Released On Bail

The girl went missing on August 24 right after publishing a video on Facebook where she can be seen crying for help against a man belonging to the saint community who has ruined many girls’ lives. It was later made clear that the Sant was, in fact, BJP leader and three-time MP Chinmayanand. She was found a week later in Rajasthan.

Chinmayanand has filed a cross-complaint against the girl for trying to extort money from him and has called the allegations against him fake and a conspiracy. The former minister isn’t new such allegations, as in November 2011 he was charged with rape after a girl who had lived at his Ashram for several years accused him. However, the Yogi Adityanath government in March this year had filed a plea to withdraw the case. But in May, a local court rejected it.

Picture credit- Gulf News