Law student turns hostile in court, says never accused former union minister Chinmayanand of sexual abuse

A 23-year-old law student, who had in 2019 accused former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Chinmayanand of rape, turned hostile during a hearing in a special court in Lucknow on October 13.

Chinmayanand (72) was arrested in September 2019 in the rape case before being granted bail in February.

Appearing before an MP-MLA court in Lucknow, the woman categorically denied that she had levelled any allegation against Chinmayanand, a former union minister, as the prosecution had charged. At this, the prosecution moved an application under Section 340 of the CrPC, seeking action against her for perjury.

Judge PK Rai directed his office to register the application and asked the prosecution to furnish a copy of the same to the victim and the accused. The court will hear the matter next on October 15.

The Allahabad High Court had in February granted bail to Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college, where the woman studied.

A case was registered under Section 376-C of the IPC, an offence pertaining to the abuse of one's position by a person in authority to "induce or seduce" a woman under his charge to have "sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape". Chinmayanand also faces charges under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 354-D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

According to government lawyer Abhay Tripathi, the victim had lodged an FIR in this regard with the Lodhi Colony police station of New Delhi on September 5, 2019. According to government lawyer Abhay Tripathi, the victim had lodged an FIR in this regard with the Lodhi Colony police station of New Delhi on September 5, 2019. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) had also recorded her statement. Later, her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC was recorded in Shahjahanpur.

In both statements, she had supported the FIR version but has now changed it denying what is mentioned in the complaint. “Since she has turned hostile, I have moved an application under Section 340 of the CrPC,” Tripathi said.