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.
Also read: Chinmayanand released from Shahjahanpur prison on bail
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves told the court that his client, a law student, was 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.