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Chinmayanand case: BJP leader gets bail
Swami Chinmayanand had charge-sheeted BJP leader DPS Rathore, who is a district cooperative bank chairman, had surrendered before the court and sought bail.
Almost two months after Uttar Pradesh police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the rape-and-extortion scandal involving Swami Chinmayanand charge sheeted BJP leader DPS Rathore for extortion attempt and criminal intimidation, Shahjahanpur district and sessions court on Thursday granted Rathore bail in the case.
Rathore, who is a district cooperative bank chairman, had surrendered before the court and sought bail. Since he had bailable sections lodged against him, court granted him the bail after filling two bail bonds of ₹30, 000 each.
When contacted, Rathore claimed he was innocent. “I was falsely implicated in the case and I am sure I will be acquitted honourably,” he said. On being asked about who were targeting him personally, he refused to comment saying that case was before the court of law.
The SIT filed the charge-sheet on November 12 against the woman, who had accused Chinmayanand of sexual assault and was herself an accused of extortion attempt, along with her three aides and Chinmayanand.
According to SIT chief Naveen Arora the charge sheet mentions that Rathore, a BJP leader, was also involved in an attempt to extort ₹1.25 crore from Chinmayanand. Rathore’s aide Ajeet Kumar is the brother-in- law of one of the accused in the extortion case according to Arora.
The SIT has prepared a 4700-page charge sheet in both cases and will submit it to the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday, Arora added.
Rathore and Kumar have been charged under Sections 385 (extortion), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The SIT has yet not arrested them but has included their name in the charge sheet.
Rathore and Kumar told the woman and her friend Sanjay to hand over all evidence (stored in a pen drive) to them so that it could be kept safe, said the SIT chief.
The SIT recorded statements of 105 people and has added 24 pieces of physical evidence, and 55 documents in the charge sheet that will be submitted on Wednesday. The SIT has concluded the probe and will file a final status report on November 28.
