Chinmayanand case to get murkier as more videos tumble out

Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh): The Chinmayanand case seems to be getting murkier day by day with several video clips related to both the accused former Union Minister and the survivor getting viral, with either claiming victimhood.

The SIT probing the case has got the woman medically examined and her hostel room has been sealed after investigations. So far, no major break through has been made, instead the question that now hangs — what will be the future of the senior BJP leader?

The veracity of the videos still has to be forensically established and then it will depend upon the Court to take the cognizance of the videos into account.

Retired senior police official R.K. Chaturvedi said that at present the woman’s case is strong in view of the first video which shows Chinmayanand getting a massage from the woman, but the second video shot in a car in with ‘extortion’-related talks could spell gloom for the accuser, as the woman seen sitting in the car looks much like the law student, — this could go a long way in tipping the balance.

“A criminal case can be filed under Section 383 of IPC in the case against the accused,” Chaturvedi said. “It is important that all the videos be forensically examined. And then the court has to take cognizance of the videos.”

After the reported ‘extortion’ video surfaced, the next course of action by Chinamayanand will be in focus. “In case, Swami Chinmayanand is able to prove that he is impotent then the whole case will turn,” said Chaturvedi.

Former judge of Delhi High Court S.N. Dhingra told IANS: “The videos will anchor the truth in the court only when they are forensically proven. Since the girl is a major, so POCSO act cannot be invoked. And if rape has happened, even that is not going to be very easy to be established as the incident has happened a long time ago.”

The Special Investigation Team of the Uttar Pradesh Police is very cautiously probing the case.

Sources say that the SIT is also probing a third-party angle which may have been instrumental in getting Chinmayanand and the woman to the confrontation stage.

The sources also say that the reported videos may have been shot in and around Shahjahanpur and published in a planned manner.

Published on: Sep 12, 2019 at 09:59 IST

IANS