Allahabad High Court has granted significant relief to Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple.
Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand (File Photo)
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has granted significant relief to Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple, Swami Mukundanand Giri, who are facing serious allegations of sexual harassment. The court has granted their anticipatory bail pleas, thereby staying their arrest for the time being. A single-judge bench comprising Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha delivered this verdict after hearing arguments from all parties involved.
Hearings in this matter had been ongoing for quite some time, and the High Court had reserved its judgment on February 27. Along with granting bail, the court issued a significant directive: it ordered that neither of the parties involved in this case—namely, the complainant and the accused—shall give any interviews to the media for the time being. This ruling is being viewed as a major legal victory for the Shankaracharya.
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The entire case revolves around the alleged sexual exploitation of minor children associated with the ashram. Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj had filed a complaint in court alleging that certain minors residing in the ashram had been subjected to inappropriate conduct. The police registered an FIR in this matter following an order from the Special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Court in Prayagraj. According to the allegations, incidents of sexual harassment involving two individuals occurred over the course of the past year.
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Fearing arrest, Swami Avimukteshwaranand and his disciple had approached the Allahabad High Court. Although the court has granted them anticipatory bail, this does not imply that the case has been concluded. The investigative agencies involved in the matter will continue their proceedings, and further hearings will take place in accordance with the legal process. The police are currently advancing their investigation based on the available evidence and witness statements.
