BHOPAL: A case of sexual intercourse obtained through deceit has been registered by the police in Madhya Pradesh’s holiest city Ujjain, against a middle-aged Mahamandaleshwar-cum-Katha Vachak (Hindu religious preacher) on the complaint of a woman devotee.
An FIR was lodged at the Mahakal Police Station on Friday night, under Sections 69 (sexual intercourse obtained through deceitful means) 351 (criminal intimidation/death threat) against middle-aged Swami Gyandas Maharaj of Dadu Ashram in Ujjain. He is reportedly the Mahamandaleshwar and prime Katha Vachak of the Ashram.
Following the lodging of the FIR against him, the religious preacher has reportedly gone into hiding. However, disciples at the Ujjain-based Ashram have claimed that the religious preacher is unwell and hence getting treated at some hospital.
Confirming that an FIR has been lodged against the religious preacher, Ujjain district police superintendent Pradip Sharma added that the sensitive case is being investigated.
In her complaint submitted at the Mahakal Police Station two days back, the complainant woman had alleged that the religious preacher had sexually exploited her and issued death threats, besides having made objectionable videos.
In the complaint, the woman stated that she met the preacher at an Ashram in Ujjain a year and a half ago. They subsequently got connected through a popular social media platform.
She further alleged that on Guru Purnima festival in 2025, she arrived at the Ashram in Ujjain district with her brother and stayed there for some days. It was during that period of stay that the woman alleged that the preacher sexually exploited her.
“The woman has stated that she was impregnated by the religious preacher and then the pregnancy aborted. Based on the woman’s statements and other available evidence, including digital evidence, the police are also probing the possibility of the religious preacher, having married the concerned woman, for deceitfully engaging her into sexual intercourse,” a senior Ujjain police officer told TNIE on Saturday.
According to reports from Ujjain, the concerned religious preacher, however, has denied the allegations made by the woman and instead alleged a conspiracy to defame and implicate him in a false case to extort money.
He has claimed that the complainant woman had been blackmailing him for around a year and attempting to honey trap him. Audio-visual evidence, besides documentary proofs, has been submitted from the preacher’s side to the local police.