SC directs UP govt to constitute SIT to probe law student's charges against BJP leader

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the allegations levelled against BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand by the law student who was found in Rajasthan, six days after she went missing.

A division bench of Justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna said the SIT will be led by an IG-rank officer and assisted by a superintendent of police.

The Allahabad High Court will monitor the probe, the apex court said, adding the SIT will take note of the FIR and the cross FIR filed in the case.

The bench directed the UP chief secretary to provide police protection to the woman and her family.

The court also asked the state government to transfer the law student to a different college so that she can continue her education. Her education shall not be disturbed or discontinued, it said.

The judges, who have interacted with the woman, said she had expressed certain apprehensions regarding the management of the college. The parents of the girl have also raised apprehensions about their safety, they said.

The court clarified that it was not expressing any opinion on the correctness of the grievances and apprehensions and said that it was retaining the suo motu petition with itself only on the limited aspect of ensuring that the studies of the woman are not discontinued or disturbed.

Last week, the bench had taken suo moto cognisance of the issue after a group of lawyers led by advocate Shobha Gupta wrote a letter to Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to take note of the case as they did not want another "Unnao case-like incident to happen".

The woman was produced before the Supreme Court on Friday after she was found in Rajasthan. She had gone missing on August 24 after a video of her alleging that a person from 'Sant Samaj' had threatened to kill her and her parents went viral on social media.

( With inputs from ANI )