Law student who accused Chinmayanand of rape arrested by SIT: Reports

Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of rape by a law student, is seen outside a government hospital after a medical examination following his arrest by a special team of Uttar Pradesh police, in Shahjahanpur | PTI

The Shahjahanpur law student, who accused former BJP MP Chinmayanand of rape, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh SIT for extortion on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. News agency ANI quoted Uttar Pradesh DGP O.P. Singh to confirm the news. However, her counsel Anoop Trivedi had told reporters that a court had fixed her interim bail plea hearing for Thursday. 

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police, OP Singh: The law student, who had accused Swami Chinmayanand for sexually harassing her, has been arrested by the SIT (Special Investigation Team) for allegedly trying to extort money from him. pic.twitter.com/gtrC5lOjhp

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 25, 2019

On Tuesday, the student, who alleged that the BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand had raped her, was questioned by the SIT. Speaking to THE WEEK, the girl's brother had then denied reports she was taken into custody and said she was at the SIT office at the Police Lines in Shahjahanpur.

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Chinmayanand was arrested by the SIT on September 20 and was remanded to 14 days in judicial custody. After raising allegations against Chinmayanand in a video, the law student had gone missing from Shahjahanpur before resurfacing.

On September 21, the SIT had booked the law student and three of her friends for extortion and removing evidence. The Allahabad High Court had on Monday refused to grant a stay on possible arrest to the law student.

A local court on Tuesday had admitted the interim bail plea filed by the law student. The court has fixed Thursday for hearing her plea, which seeks protection from arrest for allegedly trying to extort money from the former Union minister.

"Additional District Judge Sudhir Kumar has admitted our bail application, and summoned all records related to the case on the next date of hearing on September 26," Trivedi told reporters.

"It is a big relief for us as our plea has been admitted," he said. The woman, however, faced questioning later by the special investigation team (SIT) that was set up by the Uttar Pradesh police under the directions of the Supreme Court.

Chinmayanand's own bail application was rejected by Shahjahanpur chief judicial magistrate, who said it should be moved in the sessions court, according to his counsel Om Singh.

The 72-year-old politician was arrested in Shahjahanpur on Friday and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

On Monday, he was admitted at Lucknow's Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, complaining of chest pain, and remains there under observation.

The CJM's court had also rejected the bail application of three men who were arrested on extortion charges filed by the BJP leader. The law student was also booked under the same charge.

-Inputs from PTI

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