Student who accused Chinmayanand of rape not arrested: Her lawyer
Court admits Shahjahanpur student's interim bail plea
Shahjahanpur (UP), Sep 24: In a relief for the law student who has accused BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand of rape and herself faces an extortion charge, a local court Tuesday admitted her interim bail application.
The court has fixed Thursday for a hearing on her plea, which seeks protection from arrest for allegedly trying to extort money from the former Union minister.
"Additional District Judge Sudhir Kumar has admitted our bail application, and summoned all records related to the case on the next date of hearing on September 26," her counsel Anoop Trivedi told reporters here.
"It is a big relief for us as our plea has been admitted," he said.
The counsel rejected reports that the woman was intercepted by the special investigation team (SIT) probing the case while she was on her way to the sessions court in connection with her bail application.
"The SIT was present only to extend security to the woman. No arrest has been made so far and all reports in this regard are far from the truth," he said.
The woman was made to sit in a police jeep, triggering speculation that she had been arrested. But she was later escorted by the police to her residence.
Chinmayanand was arrested on Friday in connection with charges levelled by the 23-year-old woman who studies at a college run by his ashram.
The police had also arrested three other men for allegedly trying to extort money from the BJP leader -- and booked the student on the same charge.
On Monday, the Allahabad High Court refused to grant interim bail to the student and directed her to file a fresh petition before an appropriate bench.
"This bench was nominated to the case only for monitoring the investigation in this matter and has no jurisdiction to pass order on stay of arrest," it said.
Chinmayanand, sent to judicial custody after his arrest, was booked under section 376C of the IPC, which is usually applied in cases where a person abuses his position to "induce or seduce" a woman under his charge to have "sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape".
This is a lesser charge than section 376, under which a rape convict faces a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. The punishment under section 376C is between five and 10 years in jail.
The 72-year-old was also booked under sections 354 D (stalking), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The woman had claimed that the police were trying to weaken the case against the ruling party politician.
The High Court on Monday expressed satisfaction with the progress report submitted by the special investigation team probing the case.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate's court here has already rejected the bail applications filed by Chinmayanand and the three men arrested on the extortion charge, saying they should move the sessions court.
The SIT on Tuesday obtained the remand of Sachin Sengar and Vikram --- two of three men arrested in the extortion case -- for 95 hours, to help them trace the mobile phone in the alleged extortion bid.
The police have sent the mobile phone of Chinmayanand's counsel Om Singh, on which the message allegedly demanding money was allegedly received, for forensic examination, sources said.
The student has alleged she was raped and physically exploited for over a year.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
