The girl had alleged she was raped by former minister Swami Chinmayananda at an ashram in Haridwar

(An earlier version of this story mistakenly carried a photo of Swami Tejomayananda, the former head of the Chinmaya Mission, instead of Swami Chinayananda.

The error was identified and the photograph was replaced within minutes of the story being published on IndiaToday.in.

IndiaToday.in recognises the severity of the error and expresses deep regret. We profusely apologise for the mistake.)

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to withdraw a rape and kidnapping case against former union minister Swami Chinmayananda, official sources said on Tuesday.

A letter in this regard has been sent to the district administration on March 6 on behalf of the government, the sources said. Subsequently, the Shahjahanpur administration had on March 9 written to the prosecution officer of the case for its withdrawal.

In Lucknow, the state government spokesman and cabinet minister Siddhartnath Singh told newspersons that though the government has taken a decision to withdraw the case, the matter will be finally decided by the court. "If anyone has any objection to it (withdrawing the case), one can challenge it in the court," Singh said.

Shahjahanpur Additional district magistrate (administration) Sarvesh Dixit said the state government has decided to withdraw the case filed against Chinmayananda in the Kotwali police station and the process for the same has been initiated by the prosecution officials.

On the other hand, the rape victim has sent letters to the President, the Chief Justice of India, the UP governor, the chief minister and the district judge raising objections over the move, urging them for immediate issuance of a warrant against the accused.

The victim, in her letter, also said that Adityanath on a visit to Shahjahanpur, had a lunch at the house of the accused on February 25, 2018.

The FIR against the former minister was lodged on November 30, 2011, on the complaint of a girl who had spent several years at his ashram.

The girl had alleged that she was kept at an ashram in Haridwar and raped by the former minister. Her father had lodged an FIR against him at Kotwali police station in Shahjahanpur.

However, Chinmayananda moved the high court, which had stayed his arrest.

The case has been pending since then.