During his student years, he was reportedly active in student politics and associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. It was in Kashi that he met Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, under whom he took initiation in 2000 and became Swami Avimukteshwarananda.
Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati
New Delhi: Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has come under intense scrutiny after a special POCSO court in Allahabad directed authorities to register an FIR against him and one of his disciples in connection with an alleged child sexual abuse case. The order was reportedly passed while hearing a petition filed by Ashutosh Brahmachari.
Early Life and Education
Born as Umashankar Pandey in Pratapgarh, he studied up to Class 6 in his village before moving to Gujarat for further religious education. There, he came into contact with Ram Chaitanya, a disciple of Swami Karpatri, who deeply influenced him.
He later moved to Kashi (Varanasi) and studied at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, where he pursued Sanskrit grammar, the Upanishads, Ayurveda and other religious scriptures. He earned the degrees of Shastri and Acharya during this period.
During his student years, he was reportedly active in student politics and associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. It was in Kashi that he met Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, under whom he took initiation in 2000 and became Swami Avimukteshwarananda.
Political Views and Public Statements
Over the years, he has often made headlines for his political remarks. At one time, he openly supported Narendra Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. However, he later criticized the Modi government over issues such as cow protection and alleged beef exports.
He also remained absent from the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony and has made statements both defending and criticizing leaders like Rahul Gandhi, sparking debate.
Becoming Shankaracharya and Legal Dispute
After the death of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati in September 2022, Avimukteshwarananda was declared his successor and appointed the 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath on 12 September, 2022.
However, his appointment soon became controversial. In October 2022, the Supreme Court of India stayed his coronation following petitions that questioned the validity of his succession and alleged lack of consent from other Shankaracharyas, including the head of Govardhan Math in Puri. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna heard the matter.
Swami Avimukteshwarananda has maintained that the selection of a Shankaracharya is a religious matter and cannot be decided by the administration or government authorities. His supporters argue that he was the chief disciple of his guru and was rightfully appointed.
Now, with fresh legal trouble in the POCSO case, the seer once again finds himself at the centre of national attention.
