UP court orders police to arrest ex-minister Chinmayanand, produce him on December 9

LUCKNOW: The MP/MLA court of Shahjahanpur issued directives to arrest former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand and produce him in the court in connection with an 11-year-old rape case lodged against him by one of his disciples in 2011.

Chinmayanand’s lawyer had submitted an application appealing to the court to extend the time period of the appearance of the accused owing to his old age and ill health. However, MP/MLA court Judge Asma Sultana, on Thursday, rejected the plea while giving reference to an order of the Supreme Court of India and posted the matter for the next hearing on December 9.

While passing the order, judge Asma Sultana said that the Supreme Court of India had passed the order asking the accused (Chinmayanand) to surrender in the court by November 30. He failed to comply with the SC order and instead submitted an application seeking more time to surrender.

The judge added that since the MP/MLA court was under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India, it did not have the power to extend the deadline fixed by the apex court.

As per the sources, the copy of the SC order was received by the Kotwali police. The MP/MLA court was ordered by the SC to issue a non-bailable warrant against the accused in the case and the police were asked to arrest him and produce him in court. 

The case dates back to 2011 when one of the disciples of Swami Chinmayanand’s Mumukshu Ashram had filed a rape case against him. Chimayanand was the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs in the Vajpayee cabinet.

When BJP came to power in UP in 2017, the process of closing the case started in 2018. The victim opposed the closure proceedings. As a result, the court rejected the application for closure proceedings while issuing the bailable warrant against the accused.

This was followed by a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued by the MP/MLA/ Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against the accused.

Earlier, Chinmayanand had moved Allahabad High Court followed by the Supreme Court of India for withdrawal of the case but both the courts rejected his plea. 

LUCKNOW: The MP/MLA court of Shahjahanpur issued directives to arrest former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand and produce him in the court in connection with an 11-year-old rape case lodged against him by one of his disciples in 2011. Chinmayanand’s lawyer had submitted an application appealing to the court to extend the time period of the appearance of the accused owing to his old age and ill health. However, MP/MLA court Judge Asma Sultana, on Thursday, rejected the plea while giving reference to an order of the Supreme Court of India and posted the matter for the next hearing on December 9. While passing the order, judge Asma Sultana said that the Supreme Court of India had passed the order asking the accused (Chinmayanand) to surrender in the court by November 30. He failed to comply with the SC order and instead submitted an application seeking more time to surrender. The judge added that since the MP/MLA court was under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India, it did not have the power to extend the deadline fixed by the apex court. As per the sources, the copy of the SC order was received by the Kotwali police. The MP/MLA court was ordered by the SC to issue a non-bailable warrant against the accused in the case and the police were asked to arrest him and produce him in court.  The case dates back to 2011 when one of the disciples of Swami Chinmayanand’s Mumukshu Ashram had filed a rape case against him. Chimayanand was the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs in the Vajpayee cabinet. When BJP came to power in UP in 2017, the process of closing the case started in 2018. The victim opposed the closure proceedings. As a result, the court rejected the application for closure proceedings while issuing the bailable warrant against the accused. This was followed by a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued by the MP/MLA/ Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against the accused. Earlier, Chinmayanand had moved Allahabad High Court followed by the Supreme Court of India for withdrawal of the case but both the courts rejected his plea.