The Allahabad High Court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to religious leader Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati in a case against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, The Hindu reported.
Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha also extended the relief to his disciple Mukundanand Giri, Bar and Bench reported. However, the judge noted that the investigation into the allegations should continue.
The case pertained to allegations that Saraswati, head of the Jyotirmath shrine, had sexually abused two minor boys at a camp in Prayagraj.
A man identified as Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj had approached a special POCSO court, claiming that the police failed to act on written complaints in the matter, Live Law reported. The special court then ordered the registration of a first information report, after which a case was filed on February 21 at the Jhunsi Police Station in Prayagraj.
On Friday, the High Court was hearing Saraswati and Giri’s petitions for anticipatory bail, Live Law reported. While reserving its verdict on the petitions, the judge directed both the accused men to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on March 12.
Earlier, Saraswati had said that he was willing to undergo a narco-analysis test if required to establish the truth in the case, The Hindu reported. He has maintained that the allegations were “false” and “politically motivated”, and were aimed at defaming him.
The case against Saraswati came amid recent tensions between the religious leader and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, The Indian Express reported.
In January, Saraswati held a 11 day sit-in protest in Prayagraj against allegedly being prevented by the local administration from taking a dip in the Triveni Sangam on the holy day of Mauni Amavasya on January 18, according to the newspaper.
The religious leader had also given a 40-day “ultimatum” to Chief Minister Adityanath to “declare gau mata [mother cow]” as “rajya mata” and take steps to prevent the export of cow meat.
Saraswati was also among the three other shankaracharyas, or pontiffs of major Hindu shrines, who said that they would not attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January 2024.
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