Chinmayanand case transferred to special court

A district court here has transferred the trial of former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of sexually exploiting a law student, to a special court for MPs and MLAs.

The trial against the BJP leader, accused of rape by the student, has been going on at the chief judicial magistrate's court here.

He will appear before the special court in the district for the next hearing on January 20, his counsel Om Singh said.

The case file was sent by district judge Ram Babu Sharma to the special court on Monday, he said.

The special courts have been set up to fast-track cases against MPs and MLAs. The former Union minister is currently not member of any legislature.

Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the college where the law student studied, was arrested under section 376 C of the Indian Penal Code, a charge short of rape.

The section relates to abuse of one's position by a person in authority to "induce or seduce" a woman under his charge to have "sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape".

The 23-year-old law student also faces a criminal case. She has been charged with trying to extort Rs 5 crore from the politician.

Chinmayanand had alleged that he was threatened that video clips showing him getting massages from the woman student, would be made public.