New Delhi, Feb 3: The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to former BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand in the alleged rape case of a law student. He was arrested in September last year after the 23-year-old woman accused him of sexual harassment and blackmail.
The woman was a student of the Chinmayanand-controlled SS Law College in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Chinmayanand is facing charges under Sections 376C (sexual intercourse by a person or persons taking advantage of their official position), 354 D (stalking), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed on the directions of the Supreme Court.
The case came to light after the woman posted a video on August 23 last year on social media alleging that “a senior leader of the saint community” was harassing and threatening to kill her. The law student went missing a day later, after which her father lodged a complaint, accusing Chinmayanand of harassing his daughter.
Chinmayanand was expelled from the BJP after his arrest.
The SIT had, on November 6, submitted chargesheet in the case.
In a parallel case, the woman was charged with trying to extort money from Chinmayanad. The Allahabad High Court granted her bail in that case in December last year.
Comments
Add new comment