Chinmayanand Case: Student Found In Rajasthan, Supreme Court Orders UP Govt To Bring Her To Delhi

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Yogi Adityanath government for bringing the law student behind the harassment allegations BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, who was found in Rajasthan today, to Delhi. The Supreme Court directed the UP government to produce the girl, and the Registrar Judicial to make internal arrangements to facilitate her production in camera. The woman student, who had levelled kidnapping charges on former minister and BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand in a viral video, was found by the police in Rajasthan on Friday. A team of Shahjahanpur Police reached the location and found the woman and her male friend.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), OP Singh said that FIR was registered by BJP leader and former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand. As per report of the FIR, the girl (law student) was demanding Rs 5 crore and threatening to go for media trial. Appropriate legal action to be taken. “The girl has been found in Rajasthan along with her friend. Our priority was to locate her. Police will do further investigation and take action. The girl and her friend are being brought to Shahjahanpur,” he added.

On Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Police had released posters of the missing student. The posters identify the woman, which is banned by law in a case involving sexual assault. The FIR registered by police does not mention any sexual assault and the case is filed under Indian Penal Code sections related to abduction with the purpose of murder and criminal intimidation.

The Supreme Court also took cognizance over the reports of the woman student going missing. The student had levelling allegations of harassment against former Union minister Chinmayanand. The issue, which was mentioned before the apex court on Wednesday by a group of lawyers urging it to take cognisance in the matter, would come up for hearing on Friday before a bench of Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna.

Chinmayanand, 72, has a sprawling Ashram in Shahjahanpur and runs five colleges in the town. He also runs Ashrams in Haridwar and Rishikesh; his empire is believed to be worth crores though there is no official estimate.

There was public outrage after the woman went missing. Many saw several similarities between this case and what happened in Unnao. In that case, the rape survivor's mother had alleged that Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a four-time MLA who represents Bangermau in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, raped her teenage daughter at his residence in 2017. Sengar was arrested on April 13 last year.

Later, BJP also expelled Kuldeep Singh Sengar. The top leadership was forced to take the step after marathon meeting, which was attended by senior leaders Swatantra Dev Singh and Sunil Bansal. The party reportedly felt that suspension was not enough. While Swatantra Dev Singh had claimed that Sengar was suspended from party, there was never any official press release. Multiple media reports stated that no leader from the party had any details of the ‘suspension’. The BJP was under pressure to act against Sengar since the July 28 accident involving the Unnao rape survivor and her family.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The law student was found from undisclosed location in Rajasthan.
• She was found a week after she levelled serious charges against Chinmayanand.
• 72-year-old Chinmayanand has a sprawling Ashram in Shahjahanpur.