UP court orders police to arrest ex-minister Chinmayanand, produce him on Dec 9

A special MP-MLA court here has directed the police to arrest former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand Saraswati and produce him before it on December 9 after he failed to appear despite a Supreme Court order.

The court issued an arrest warrant against Chinmayanand in a case of sexual exploitation lodged against him by his disciple at a police station in Shahjahanpur, special government counsel Neelima Saxena said on Thursday.

His advocate gave an application saying Chinmayanand has filed an application for anticipatory bail in the high court, which is to be heard on December 6. Therefore, he should be given time to appear, but Judge Asma Sultana refused to give time, Saxena said.

The judge said Chinmayanand was given time to surrender on November 30 by the Supreme Court but he did not appear, so this period cannot be extended.

The court has directed police to arrest and produce him before the court on December 9, Saxena said.

In 2011, on a complaint from his disciple, a case of sexual exploitation was registered against Mumukshu ashram founder Chinmayanand.

The Uttar Pradesh government in 2018 had sent a letter to the court through the district magistrate to withdraw the case, but the victim objected.

The application for withdrawal was dismissed by the court and a bailable warrant was issued against him.

Chinmayanand had then appealed in the high court for withdrawal of the case and after it was rejected there, he appealed in the Supreme Court. But the top court also rejected his appeal.

The Supreme Court had directed him to appear in the Shahjahanpur court by November 30 but he did not appear, Saxena said.