Swami Chinmayanand, the 72-year-old BJP leader accused of rape by a 23-year-old law student, has been arrested by a special team of Uttar Pradesh police and taken to a Lucknow hospital for medical examination.

“Swami Chinmayanand was arrested around 9 am and taken for a medical examination at the district hospital. He will then be presented before a magistrate,” a senior UP police officer said on condition of anonymity. The arrest comes three days ahead of the Allahabad High Court hearing in the case.

The law student and her family had alleged the police were going soft on the BJP leader. Chinmayamam was the junior home minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Local police had registered a case of extortion against the woman and her friends on 24 August, Mr Chinmayanand’s lawyer, Om Singh, told BBC Hindi’s Samiratmaj Mishra.

Mr Chinmayanand has denied the allegations but was subsequently charged with “misusing authority” for sex – a lesser offence than rape – as well as stalking, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.

If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in jail.