Chinmayanand, 72, was arrested last year in the rape case.
Lucknow / New Delhi:
A 23-year-old law student, who accused former BJP MP Chinmayanand last year of rape, turned hostile during a hearing in a special court in Lucknow on Tuesday in immense relief for the former minister of the union. Chinmayanand, 72, was arrested last year in the rape case and was released on bail in February.
Appearing before the judge of the special court – established on instructions from the High Court of Allahabad – the student refused to accept any of the allegations she made earlier. After she became hostile, the prosecution appealed to file a case under Article 340 of the CrPc (false statement and false prosecution in one case) against the student.
The law student – enrolled in one of Chinmayanand’s educational institutions in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh – had accused him of sexually exploiting him for more than a year.
The complainant was invited to respond to the prosecution’s appeal. The next hearing in the case will take place on Wednesday October 15.
The law student filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Chinmayanand last year on September 5, nearly a week after her father alleged she was missing; the family had accused Chinmayanand of harassment. The former trade union minister was arrested on September 20, 2019.
Shortly after her arrest, the 23-year-old woman was also taken into custody for attempting to extort an amount of Rs 5 crore from the ex-BJP.
A SIT (Special Investigation Team) was also set up by the state government in the case. On November 6, the SIT filed an indictment in the rape case as well as the extortion case against the student and three other people.
In December, the Allahabad High Court granted the law student bail in the extortion case.
Earlier this year, Chinmayanand was released on bail by the High Court which suggested a “quid pro quo” between the accused politician and the young woman and that they were using each other.
In the February order, High Court Judge Rahul Chaturvedi expressed astonishment that a “girl whose virginity is at stake” failed to inform her parents or any judicial body of the sexual exploitation of which she was. victim at the hands of the former politician.
Two days later, the former BJP chief walked out of Shahjahanpur district prison to a great welcome from his supporters.
In March, the Supreme Court refused to cancel the bond it had been granted, stressing that it was “not necessary to interfere” with the order of the High Court of Allahabad.
