LUCKNOW: Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, on Tuesday, moved the Allahabad High Court seeking anticipatory bail after a case was registered against him for alleged sexual harassment of minor children and other offences.
The FIR was lodged against the seer and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari over allegations of sexual abuse of two minors over the past year. The Prayagraj police registered the FIR at Jhunsi police station under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the BNS, officials said. The case was registered on Monday in complaince of the order of the Special POCSO Court of Prayagraj on Saturday.
As per sources, a notice has been sent to the office of the government advocate in this regard, before filing the application in court. According to the FIR, the complainants included Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj and two other persons— one of them a minor— who alleged sexual abuse by the accused at a gurukul and during religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela in Prayagraj.
In the FIR, besides the seer and Mukundanand, the complaint is also against two to three unidentified persons. It has been alleged that the accused, posing as religious preceptors, subjected the minor and another youth to repeated sexual assault on multiple occasions over the past.
It may be recalled that recently Avimukteshwaranand had hit the headlines for his confrontation with the organisers of the Magh Mela in Prayagraj, whom he accused of preventing him from taking a bath on Mauni Amavasya.
Interacting with media persons at his vidyamathh in Kashi, , the seear claimed that some lawyers had approached him offering assistance, but he had no information on any steps they may have taken. He also showed a photograph and claimed that a police officer from Prayagraj was at the centre of the “conspiracy” against him. The image showed the officer cutting a cake with Ashutosh Brahmachari, the complainant, standing next to him.
He also claimed the administration and police began acting against him on January 18, coinciding with Mauni Amavasya. Despite provisions mandating the immediate registration of an FIR under the POCSO Act, police did not file a case on their own, and instead acted only after a court order, he alleged.
The court order focused more on legal rulings than on evidence, he claimed, hinting at a conspiracy wherein someone was backing Ashutosh Brahmachari. He also claimed that the officials of the Varanasi Development Authority recently surveyed the Vidya Math, and alleged that the “entire system” was being used against him to pressure him to withdraw from a cow protection campaign, which he said he would never do.
Avimukteshwaranand said, "We haven't received any notice yet. When they (Police) come, we'll talk to them. Police haven't contacted us yet, nor have they been informed, nor have they been served any notice... The most important issue is, what connection do we have with those children? Children who never came to our attention, who never enrolled in our institution, you can conduct thousands of medical tests on them. It's up to you to prove their connection to us."
"We mentioned that our lawyers are working on going to court against the FIR... In a case like POCSO, the police should immediately act. They should believe what the child says, and after believing it, they should immediately get a medical examination. Action should be taken immediately. So the question is, why didn't the police register it?..." he added.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the case, calling it unfortunate and alleging it was a false case against a religious leader. SP MP Virendra Singh also met the Shankaracharya and said leaders connected with the monastery stood in his support.
Congress MP Imran Masood questioned the allegations and said the matter required careful scrutiny, adding that such action against a Shankaracharya had raised concerns among followers.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and further steps will be taken based on evidence and statements. Moreover, UPCC chief Ajay Rai has shot off a letter to PM Modi seeking his intervention in the matter.