Prayagraj: The 23-year-old law student who accused former Union Minister Chinmayanand of rape was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday, two months after she was arrested in connection with an alleged extortion case.
Justice SD Singh passed the order as Justice Ashok Kumar, who was set to hear the bail plea, had refused to hear it.
"We told the court that the special investigation team (SIT) probing the matter has filed the chargesheet and the victim has been in jail for over two and a half months. It is not expected that the girl can affect the investigation or trial in the matter," Advocate Shwetash Agarwal, appearing for the law student told ANI.
"The court observed that most of the cases in the matter are bailable offenses. Considering all this and the fact that the girl is a victim of rape, the court granted bail," he said.
Agarwal said that the opposition contended that if she is granted bail she might tamper with the evidence. Senior advocate Dilip Kumar was appearing for the opposition in the matter.
The law student has been in judicial custody for over two months in connection with the extortion case which was filed by Chinmayanand.
A bail plea filed by Chinmayanand is also pending before the High Court.
The woman has testified before a local court that she was repeatedly raped and blackmailed by Chinmayanand for over a year, following which Chinmayanand was also arrested.
