SC to hear plea for shifting rape case against Chinmayanand

Victim fears for her life in U.P., says lawyer

Lucknow: Vishwa Hindu Parisad’s margdarshak mandal member, Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati and his aid were arrested by Uttar Pradesh police during their arrival at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow on Thursday for the VHP's 84-Kosi Parikrama Yatra in Ayodhya. According to police, he has been taken to Shahjahanpur. Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury/September 12, 2013.

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to urgently list a petition by a woman, who had complained of sexual exploitation against former Minister Swami Chinmayanand, to transfer the case from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde said the petition would be heard on March 2.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves told the court that his client, a law student, feared for her life in Uttar Pradesh.

The court advised him to approach the police for security. Mr. Colin then replied that the police had assigned her a gunman.

The Allahabad High Court granted Chinmayanand bail on February 3. He is accused of sexually exploiting the complainant at a college run by his trust at Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested on September 20 last for allegedly misusing his authority to “induce or seduce” a woman into sexual intercourse.

The Shahjahanpur police in August last filed an FIR against Chinmayanand after the student went missing following her allegation made in a video clip. Her father had lodged a complaint with the police accusing Chinmayanand of sexually harassing her. But Chinmayanand’s lawyer said it was a “conspiracy” to blackmail him.