Law student can stay in Delhi, says Supreme Court
The woman, who was traced in Rajasthan, had alleged sexual harassment by ex-BJP MP Chinmayanand
31/08/2019, KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL,NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to the wishes of a woman law student, who had disappeared after levelling charges of sexual harassment against ex-BJP MP Swami Chinmayanand only to be traced in Rajasthan, to stay back in Delhi.
After a closed-door session with the woman, Justices R. Banumathi and A.S. Bopanna also directed the Delhi police to safely bring her parents too to Delhi from their native Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The court asked the Registrar to keep the woman and her parents incommunicado till the court takes up the matter again on Monday.
The court had suo motu taken up a letter from a group of women Supreme Court lawyers anxious about the safety of the woman. They had sought her production before the apex court.
On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh government counsel informed the Bench that the woman had been found in Rajasthan and was being taken to Shahjahanpur. The lawyer said the police convoy bringing the woman had already reached Fatehpur Sikri.
But the Bench insisted that the woman be produced before the Supreme Court during the course of the day.
The government counsel, after consulting with the State police officers, returned to the Bench, saying the woman could be brought here in under three hours.
Justice Banumathi said the Bench would wait for the woman to reach the court in order to interact with her in-camera. The interaction happened late in the evening.
The Shahjahanpur police had on Tuesday lodged an FIR against Mr. Chinmayanand after the student went missing following her allegation in a video clip that he had been harassing her. The woman also spoke about threats to her and her family’s life in the video clip.
Her father had filed a complaint with the police, accusing Mr. Chinmayanand of sexually harassing his daughter, a charge refuted by the BJP leader’s lawyer, who claimed it was a “conspiracy” to blackmail him.
The woman’s father had alleged that she went missing at the behest of the 72-year-old BJP leader, who heads the Mumukshu ashram. She is a postgraduate student in one of the colleges run by the ashram.
U.P. Director General of Police O.P. Singh on Friday said necessary legal action was being taken.
(With inputs from Omar Rashid)
The woman, who was traced in Rajasthan, had alleged sexual harassment by ex-BJP MP Chinmayanand
31/08/2019, KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL,NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to the wishes of a woman law student, who had disappeared after levelling charges of sexual harassment against ex-BJP MP Swami Chinmayanand only to be traced in Rajasthan, to stay back in Delhi.
After a closed-door session with the woman, Justices R. Banumathi and A.S. Bopanna also directed the Delhi police to safely bring her parents too to Delhi from their native Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The court asked the Registrar to keep the woman and her parents incommunicado till the court takes up the matter again on Monday.
The court had suo motu taken up a letter from a group of women Supreme Court lawyers anxious about the safety of the woman. They had sought her production before the apex court.
On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh government counsel informed the Bench that the woman had been found in Rajasthan and was being taken to Shahjahanpur. The lawyer said the police convoy bringing the woman had already reached Fatehpur Sikri.
But the Bench insisted that the woman be produced before the Supreme Court during the course of the day.
The government counsel, after consulting with the State police officers, returned to the Bench, saying the woman could be brought here in under three hours.
Justice Banumathi said the Bench would wait for the woman to reach the court in order to interact with her in-camera. The interaction happened late in the evening.
The Shahjahanpur police had on Tuesday lodged an FIR against Mr. Chinmayanand after the student went missing following her allegation in a video clip that he had been harassing her. The woman also spoke about threats to her and her family’s life in the video clip.
Her father had filed a complaint with the police, accusing Mr. Chinmayanand of sexually harassing his daughter, a charge refuted by the BJP leader’s lawyer, who claimed it was a “conspiracy” to blackmail him.
The woman’s father had alleged that she went missing at the behest of the 72-year-old BJP leader, who heads the Mumukshu ashram. She is a postgraduate student in one of the colleges run by the ashram.
U.P. Director General of Police O.P. Singh on Friday said necessary legal action was being taken.
(With inputs from Omar Rashid)
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