Amid move to revoke case against Swami Chinmayanand, rape victim appeals to President
Budaun: Terming Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's order of revoking the rape case against former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand wrong, the rape survivor has made an appeal to President Ram Nath Kovind, UP Governor Ram Naik and Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, seeking justice.
“This decision by the chief minister is completely wrong. Instead of supporting me, the government is supporting the accused. I am not even being allowed a fair trial. The accused is politically too powerful and I am too weak,” the 39-year-old rape survivor told NDTV.
Also Read: Yogi government to revoke case against rapist minister Swami Chinmayanand
The rape case against Swami Chinmayanand was filed at a police station in Shahjahanpur in 2011 and police had filed a chargesheet against him in 2012. However, the three-time lawmaker managed to get a stay on his arrest from the Allahabad High Court.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 15 in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Shahjahanpur.
On February 25, Yogi Adityanath had visited Swami Chinmayanand's ashram in Shahjahanpur to inaugurate the Mumuksh Yuva Mahotsav and during this meeting he is said to have requested the Chief Minister to withdraw the case against him.
The Chief Minister then directed the Law department to issue an order for withdrawal of the rape case. Acting on the order dated March 6, Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Jitendra Sharma issued a letter on March 9, directing the public prosecutor to file an application in the court under Section 321 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, to withdraw the case.
The rape victim said she has no hope from the Uttar Pradesh administration and that the government should stop itself from interfering in the matter. Speaking to NDTV, she went on to add, “I have no hope with the UP administration so I appealed to the Chief Justice of India. The government needs to stop interfering in the matter.”
The rape survivor used to be a disciple of Swami Chinmayanand at his ashram between the year 2000 and 2011. It was during that time she had alleged him of raping her.
The victim said she was not the only one who had undergone the torture; several other girls also had met the same fate. She added that Swami Chinmayanand warned her of dire consequences and she was kept under constant surveillance.
“I suffered for 11 years but could not speak out because he would give me death threats and keep me under constant surveillance. Several other girls also went through the torture but could never speak out as he got them married off to his own employees. I got out as I managed to get help from an outsider who later married me,” she narrated to NDTV.
