Shahjahanpur, Sep 30 (IANS): The district court in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur on Monday rejected the bail application of former Union Minister Chinmayanand and also the law student who had accused him of sexual misconduct.

They will now have to seek relief from the Allahabad High Court.

Chinmayanand, who is recovering in the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow after a reported cardiac problem, has not been charged with rape. He has, instead, been charged under a sub-section of the rape law for "misusing authority for sexual intercourse".

Two days after his arrest on September 20, Chinmayanand was shifted to a hospital and has been there ever since.

The law student, on the other hand, was arrested last week on extortion charges and is in jail.

The Special Investigation Team probing the case said she has "confessed" to the crime.

The decision of the court came as the Congress tried to hold a rally in solidarity with the law student but was stopped by the state police. The party said around 80 of its leaders and workers, including senior leader Jitin Prasada, were taken into preventive custody.

Party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has alleged that the entire Yogi government has been 'protecting' the 73-year-old accused former Minister.