Chinmayanand case: Woman tells Supreme Court she wants to stay in Delhi

New Delhi : In a fast-paced development, the Supreme Court Friday said the woman law student, who had gone missing after levelling harassment allegations against former Union minister and BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand and found in Rajasthan, will be kept in the national capital under full security.

The woman was produced before the apex court judges who said she has expressed desire not to go to her home state, Uttar Pradesh. The apex court, which directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to produce the woman before it when they were on way to Sahajahanpur from Rajasthan, had an "in-camera" interaction with her.

Later, a bench of Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna, which assembled at 7.35 PM to hear the matter, said in open court hearing that the woman had left Uttar Pradesh with her three college mates in "order to protect herself".

The apex court said that she does not "intend to go back to UP till she meets her parents in Delhi" and it is concerned about the safety and security of the woman.

It directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to depute a police team to safely bring her parents from Sahajahanpur to Delhi by Saturday "at the earliest".

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".

"We have spoken to the woman. She was very responsive to the questions. She was able to understand English but she answered most of the questions in Hindi.

She has stated that she had left Shahjahanpur along with her three college mates, who are also her family friends, in order to protect herself," the bench noted in its order.

"She has stated that she do not intend to go back to UP unless she meet her parents in Delhi and talk to them. She said that after meeting and talking to her parents, she will take decision on her future course of action," the bench said.

It directed the Delhi Police team, which would accompany her parents, to provide them security till further orders of the top court.

The bench further said that the shelter home where she would stay would provide landline phone to enable her to talk to her parents.

"We are concerned about her safety and comfort. Let her relax first and let her parents come to Delhi. We will not allow the lawyers to meet her now," it said.

Advocate Shobha, who was appointed as an amicus curiae, said that she had talked to her parents and they want to have a conversation with their daughter.

Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee, appearing for Uttar Pradesh, said the woman was "not an accused and she is free to make call to her parents or anybody else".

"We are bothered about her safety, protection and she can stay wherever she will feel comfortable," he told the bench.

Banerjee also said there was no allegation that UP Police would not conduct fair investigation in the case.