SC directs UP govt to constitute special team to investigate Shahjahanpur law student case

Lucknow, Sep 02: Supreme Court on Monday directed Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the apprehension and allegation made by the law student against BJP leader and former minister Swami Chinmayanand. SC has also said Allahabad High Court to constitute a bench to monitor the investigation.

The apex court has also directed UP govt to transfer the law student to a different college where she can pursue her course. The court clarifies it's not expressing any opinion on the correctness of grievances and apprehensions.

The SS Law College student, whose father alleged that she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Chinmayanand, appeared before the Supreme Court on Saturday. In the court, the girl demanded protection for self and her family.

After the hearing, the top court directed the Delhi Police to bring the victim's family from Shahjahanpur to Delhi amid tight security. Following this, the Delhi Police followed the order and reached Shahjahanpur.

Earlier, parents of the girl had filed a missing complaint with the police earlier and had alleged that Chinmayanand was responsible for their daughter's disappearance.

In a video, the girl had alleged that Chinmayanand, director of her college, is threatening to kill her and her family as she has evidence that could land him in trouble. The girl went missing after the video went viral on August 24 from the hostel of SS Law College.

The court had taken suo moto cognizance of the issue after a group of lawyers led by advocate Shobha Gupta wrote a letter to the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to take note of the incident, as they don't want another "Unnao case like incident to happen."

Shahjahanpur law student case: Supreme Court directs Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the apprehension and allegation made by the student against BJP leader and former minister Swami Chinmayanand. pic.twitter.com/9YE9RejfMu

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2019

The woman was produced before the apex court judges who said she has expressed a desire not to go to her home state, UP.

The apex court, which directed the UP Police to produce the woman before it when they were on way to Shahajahanpur from Rajasthan, had an "in-camera" interaction with her.

Later, a bench of Justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna, which assembled to hear the matter, said in open court hearing that the woman had left UP with her three college mates in "order to protect herself".

The judges had interacted with the girl and allowed her to stay in Delhi under security as per her wish till the time she met her parents.

The bench however made it clear that it would not permit the lawyers and anyone else other than her parents to meet her at this stage.

The top court directed its registry to ensure that her stay at All India Woman Conference here, a shelter home which is used by the Delhi Legal Services Authority for stay of such victims, is "safe and comfortable".