Prayagraj, February 27 – The Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered the Uttar Pradesh Police to refrain from arresting Swami Avimukteshwaranand in connection with a complaint of child sexual abuse being investigated by the Jhunsi Police Station.
The High Court also granted the seer interim protection from coercive action until the next hearing in the case.
Special POCSO Judge Vinod Kumar Chaurasia had last week directed the Jhunsi Police Station in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, to register an FIR based on a complaint filed by Ashutosh Brahmachari.
Earlier on Saturday, Swami Avimukteshwaranand questioned the credibility of the complainant, claiming that the person making the allegations had a criminal background himself.
He asserted that the FIR against him in the child sexual abuse case would ultimately expose what he described as "false allegations", expressing full faith in the judicial process.
"Filing a case is appropriate because once the case is registered, further investigation and evidence gathering will take place, and the truth about the false case filed against us will come to light," he added.
"The individual who has made accusations against me is himself a criminal. His record proves this," Swami Avimukteshwaranand alleged, further claiming that the person's primary activity was filing fabricated cases against people to extort money.
Last week, the Special POCSO court ordered further investigation after reviewing a preliminary inquiry report submitted by Prayagraj Police Commissioner Jogendra Kumar on the complaint filed by Brahmachari.
The case pertains to allegations of sexual abuse of minors under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
Brahmachari on Wednesday made a series of serious allegations against Swami Avimukteshwarananda during a press conference in Prayagraj, claiming misconduct at an ashram and naming several individuals he described as accused.
Accusing the seer, Brahmachari said, “Those who call Mother Ganga dirty cannot bathe in the Ganga.” He further alleged that young students were brought from flood-affected areas and subjected to abuse in ashrams.
He also claimed that, as per an order of the Supreme Court, the term “Shankaracharya” cannot be used for the seer, stating that doing so could invite contempt of court proceedings.
Brahmachari said he wished to disclose the names of those allegedly involved. “First is Swami Avimukteshwaranand, second his associate and disciple Mukundananda Brahmachari, third Arvind, a disciple of his guru-bhai, and Prakash Upadhyay,” he said.
