Court records woman’s statement who accused Swami Chinmayanand of rape

The special investigation team (SIT) probing the allegation of rape against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union minister, Chinmayanand, is likely to file a first information report (FIR) on the basis of the victim’s statement that was recorded before a Shahjahanpur court on Monday, officials familiar with the probe said on the condition of anonymity.

The 23-year-old law student has alleged that she was raped and “physically exploited” for a year by the BJP leader, whose organisation runs several colleges.

The SIT formed on the orders of the Supreme Court on Monday brought the woman, who had her face covered with a black scarf, before a judicial magistrate to record her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

A statement recorded under this section is admissible in a court of law.

One of the officials cited above said, “The woman has accused Chinmayanand of rape in her complaint in Delhi. If she testifies the same before the judicial magistrate, the former minister will be booked for rape charges.”

The development comes amid reports that the woman and her father have questioned the working of the Uttar Pradesh police, and the SIT respectively.

The father of the law student has alleged that the SIT has leaked footage of the videos that his daughter gave them. “These videos were a part of the evidence against Chinmayanand and given to the SIT by my daughter. How could these videos be shared on a different platform?” her father told reporters. “I will urge the Supreme Court to order a probe into this conspiracy.”

On Friday, the woman submitted a pen drive to the SIT, claiming that it contained evidence against the former minister in the form of video recording. When asked as to why she did not hand over the evidence earlier, the woman told reporters, “Earlier, I did not trust any investigating agency.” She claimed that she had a pen drive when she was in Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, at around 8 pm on Monday, Chinmayanad complained of discomfort and a team of doctors visited his residence and remained there for almost two hours. His lawyer Om Singh
said, “Swamiji has been advised rest.”

First Published: Sep 17, 2019 01:06 IST