Shahjahanpur law student files bail plea, HC asks Chinmayanand's counsel to reply in two weeks

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday gave two weeks to an SIT and BJP leader Chinmayanand's lawyer to file their objections to a bail plea by the law student who has accused the politician of rape. While the former Union minister has been booked under the Indian Penal Code's section 376C, a charge short of rape, the woman and three others face a separate case of trying to blackmail him.

A special investigation (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has been probing the parallel cases. Seeking bail for her, the Shahjahanpur woman's counsel argued that she is a victim of sexual harassment and all allegations against her are fabricated.

However, counsel for the state government and Swami Chinmayanand opposed the bail plea, arguing that she is the main accused in the extortion case and there is sufficient evidence to prove it. They sought more time to file a counter-affidavit. Justice Siddharth granted two weeks' time to the SIT and Chinmayanand's counsel to file their reply and fixed November 6 as next date of hearing.

The SIT had booked the law student and three others on a complaint made by Chinmayanand that they had demanded Rs 5 crore from him while threatening the release of objectionable videos. The videos mostly relate to the massages Chinmayanand got from the woman, who claims she secretly filmed them as evidence of sexual abuse she allegedly suffered.

The woman studied at a college run by the BJP leader's ashram. Meanwhile, the SIT also submitted in the high court a status report in the case against Chinmayanand. The court fixed November 28 as next date of hearing and asked the SIT to submit a further report by that day.

The bench of Justices Manoj Mishra and Pankaj Bhatia directed that the SIT should also submit the forensic report by the next date if it has received it. The forensic report is mainly required to match voices heard in the video clips with those involved in the case.