In a new turn in the row sparked by memoirs of a former inmate of the Mata Amritanandamayi mutt, police on Sunday asked the Australian woman who penned the book to give her statement.
The police move came after a complaint was filed by a Delhi-based lawyer seeking to lodge a case against the spiritual institution based on her "revelations".
Circle Inspector Justin John of Karunagapally Police Station here has sent an e-mail to Gail Tredwell, who wrote the memoirs, asking her to give the statement, if she had any, on the basis of the complaint lodged by Deepak Prakash.
Tredwell had been asked either to appear in person at the police station to give the statement or send it in writing through the Australian Embassy in India. Tredwell had claimed in her book - Holy hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion and Pure Madness - that she had been a close disciple of the ashram founder, Mata Amritanandamayi for several years and lived there for several years before escaping after being fed up with some bitter experiences.
The ashram has refuted the allegations, describing them as totally unfounded and that the institution had been functioning in a transparent manner. Kerala Police had on February 26 decided not to register a case against the mutt on the advocate's plea in connection with the controversial book, saying the decision was taken after getting legal opinion in the matter.
Also Read: