Yogi to withdraw rape case on Swami Chinmayanand

Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government has decided to withdraw a case of abduction and rape against former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand.

The case was lodged against the Swami seven years ago in 2011 in Shahjahanpur.

The FIR against him was lodged on the complaint of a girl who stayed in his ashram. The girl had alleged she was kept at an ashram in Haridwar and raped by the former minister. The rape victim had further alleged that besides rape, Mr Chinmayanand had threatened to get her killed if she dared lodge complaint against him.

The girl’s father had lodged the complaint at the Kotwali police station but the Swami obtained a stay on his arrest from the high court. The case has been pending since then.

According to official sources, the Shahjahanpur administration wrote a letter to the prosecution officer for withdrawal of the case.

“The administration has decided to withdraw the case as per the section 321 of the CrPC and the public prosecutor is requested to submit this application before the court”, the letter said. Section 321 in the CrPC allows a government lawyer to, with the consent of the court, withdraw from a prosecution.

The note does not cite any reason such as lack of evidence or witnesses turning hostile, for the withdrawal of the case.

Swami Chinmayanand is a three-term MP and was minister of state for internal security in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.