Shahjahanpur victim gets relief from court after being booked for extortion, arrest stayed

The woman law student, who had levelled charges of sexual misconduct and harassment against UP BJP leader Chinmayanand but also has been booked for extortion in the case, was on Tuesday granted a stay on her arrest.

The relief to the woman was extended by the Additional District Judge-1 (ADJ) here on Tuesday afternoon. The woman had filed a petition for a stay on her arrest after her bail application was rejected on Monday by the Allahabad High Court which asked her to move the district court.

The matter will now be heard on September 26. The court has further asked the Special Investigating Team (SIT) to produce evidence against the woman.

Earlier in the day, the woman was taken into custody by the SIT on charges of extortion and blackmail as Chinmayanand had accused her and three men of demanding Rs 5 crore from him. The SIT had taken two other youths - Vikram and Sachin - arrested in the same case on remand on Tuesday and sources said that the SIT wanted to cross-examine the woman and the youths face-to-face.

The SIT picked her up before the petition for anticipatory bail could come up for hearing before the court.

Sources further said that the SIT wanted to recover the mobile which the woman had reportedly thrown away in Rajasthan where she had been staying after leaving Shahjahanpur on August 24.