SC sets aside HC order on supply of woman’s statement to Chinmayanand

The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside an Allahabad High Court order allowing former Minister and BJP leader Chinmayanand to get a copy of statement of a woman law student recorded before a magistrate in connection with a rape case against him, saying “utmost confidentiality is required to be maintained” in sexual exploitation cases. The top court, however, noted that by the time the alleged rape victim moved the top court against the high court’s November 7, 2019 order, the accused was already supplied with the certified copy of her statement recorded by a judicial magistrate under section 164 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Statement recorded under section 164 of the CrPC before a judicial magistrate is admissible as an evidence during the trial.