NEW DELHI: After the amicus curiae raised doubts that some of the inhabitants at the ashram run by self-styled religious preacher Virender Dev Dixit are minors, the Delhi High Court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to verify the age of the inmates.
Several women and girls are reportedly held in illegal confinement at the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidhyalaya ashram in the Rohini area of the national capital.
“The CBI is directed to verify the age of the inmates and file a fresh status report,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said. The matter will be heard next in December.
An inspection of the ashram was carried out following an earlier order of the high court. The court noted that the amicus curiae, in the inspection report, has also raised doubts about the ashram’s funding.
Separate petitions were filed in the court in the matter. One plea was moved by the mother of a woman currently residing in the ashram “under the influence of some people”. Another petition was filed by an aged couple alleging that their “highly-educated daughter” has been misled into living in the ashram and is harbouring “overvalued ideas”.
The court had earlier observed that there were serious allegations of rape against Dixit and asked the CBI to file a status report. The CBI’s counsel had said two FIRs were lodged against Dixit for alleged rape and all efforts were being made to apprehend him.
In 2017, NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment filed a plea alleging that several minor girls and women were being illegally confined at Dixit’s “spiritual university” and were not allowed to meet their parents.
The court had earlier asked the CBI to track down Dixit and directed the federal agency to probe the alleged illegal confinement of girls and women in the ashram.
The CBI had then assured the court that all efforts were being made to ascertain the whereabouts of Dixit, raids were carried out at his farmhouses and ashrams and special teams were constituted to arrest him. The court had last year said the CBI was free to freeze Dixit’s bank accounts.
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