The case of sexual harassment against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has reached the Allahabad High Court. The Jyotirmath Shankaracharya has filed a pre-arrest bail petition in the court through advocates Rajarshi Gupta, Sudhanshu Kumar, and Shree Prakash. A hearing on this petition may take place soon.
The complaint against Swami Avimukteshwaranand was filed under Section 173(4) in the District Court by Ashutosh Brahmachari, a disciple of Tulsi Peethadhishwar Swami Rambhadracharya. ADJ, the POCSO and Rape Special Court, Vinod Kumar Chaurasia, had directed Jhunsi police in Prayagraj to register a case and conduct an investigation.
Following the court’s order, the Jhunsi police registered an FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand, his disciple Mukundanand Giri, and two to three unidentified individuals. The FIR has been registered under Section 351(3) of the BNS Act and Sections 5, 6, 3, 4(2), 16, and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police have also begun investigating the case.
Man alleges pressure to file complaint against Jyotirmath Shankaracharya
New allegations have emerged in the ongoing controversy involving Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Jyotirmath Shankaracharya, amid child sexual abuse claims. A resident of Shahjahanpur, Ramakant Dixit, has claimed that he and his family were approached in an attempt to influence them regarding a complaint against the religious leader.
According to Dixit, three individuals contacted him and tried to persuade his family to file a complaint against the Jyotirmath Shankaracharya. He stated that during the encounter, he was asked to speak on the phone with Ashutosh Pandey, who has already lodged a complaint against the Shankaracharya.
"Three people came to me and made me talk to Ashutosh Pandey on my phone. They told us that Swamiji needs to be 'fixed' a bit. They talked about making allegations against Shankaracharyaji. I told them how you can say such things about my daughters... I have met Shankaracharyaji. I have not made any allegations against Shankaracharyaji." Dixit said.
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