The 23-year-old woman, who had accused former Union Minister Chinmayanand of sexually assaulting her, has been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court, two months after she was arrested on charges of extortion.

Chinmayanand was arrested on September 20 after the woman — a law student — accused him of rape. However, in a counter-complaint the woman was accused of extorting money from the expelled BJP leader.

Last month, a special investigation team of the Uttar Pradesh Police filed chargesheets against Chinmayanand and a separate case of extortion in which the woman and her associates were arrested for allegedly blackmailing him.

The woman had alleged that Chinmayanand, who runs several ashrams and educational institutions, sexually exploited her after helping her get admission in his law college last year. She alleged that Chinmayanand filmed her while taking a bath at the hostel, and then raped her. He continued to exploit her after blackmailing her with the video, she alleged. She was also allegedly brought to his room at gunpoint and forced to give him massages.

The woman had posted about her ordeal on Facebook without naming the politician, but vanished on August 24. Chinmayanand’s team then filed an extortion case against her. The police tracked her down a week later, after which the Supreme Court heard her allegations and ordered an inquiry by a special investigation team.

Chinmayanand has been charged under a law that deals with rape, but the sub-section applied in his case deals with “misusing authority for sexual intercourse”. The diluted charge, as it appears, carries a punishment of five to 10 years in prison and a fine. A direct rape charge would have meant a seven-year jail term extending to a life term. He has also been charged with stalking, criminal intimidation and wrongful confinement.

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