Chinmayanand sexual harassment case: Allahabad HC grants bail to former BJP Union Minister

Five months after arresting BJP leader Chinmayanand, the Allahabad High Court on Monday granted him bail in the alleged sexual harassment case of a law student. The former Union Minister was arrested under section 376 C of the Indian Penal Code, a charge short of rape. The 23-year-old law student who accused him also faces a criminal case after being charged with trying to extort Rs 5 crore from the politician.

Chinmayanand Case: SC orders SIT probe into sexual harassment charges

Accuser gets bail

Earlier in December, the accuser had been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in the above-mentioned extortion case. The woman and three of her friends had been arrested on September 25 for allegedly demanding Rs 5 crore from the BJP leader. Meanwhile, 72-year-old Chinmayanand was arrested on September 20 under charges  to "induce or seduce" a woman to have "sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape." The case was then transferred from the trial court to the special fast track court in December. 

Law student who accused Chinmayand of rape released on bail

Accuser goes missing

After the victim's father alleged that Chinmayanand had sexually assaulted his daughter, UP police started a country-wide search for the victim in September. Police had stated she was located in Rajasthan along with her friend and was produced in the Supreme Court on August 31. The Supreme Court ordered  UP police to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe against Chinmayanand.

Chinmayanand case transferred to special court

Allegations of Sexual Harassment against Chinmayanand

The survivor who was a student at a college run by Chinmayanand's trust, had gone missing since August 2019.This occurred a day after she posted a video on social media alleging that the former Union minister was harassing and threatening to kill her. She did not name Chinmayanand in the video, but referred to "a senior leader of the sant community". The police had on Wednesday released posters of the missing student, whose father has alleged the role of BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand. The politician, who faced similar accusations in 2011 and was booked for raping a woman who stayed at his ashram, disputed the charge. 

Chinmayanand appears before court, next hearing on Jan 20