The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Swami Mukundanand Giri in an alleged sexual harassment case. The order was delivered by a single bench of Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha, which had earlier reserved its verdict on February 27 after concluding the hearing. Both had approached the court seeking protection from arrest in the matter.
Case Background and Court Proceedings
The development follows the registration of an FIR at Jhunsi Police Station, based on directions issued by ADJ (Rape and POCSO Special Court) Vinod Kumar Chaurasia. The case stems from an application filed under Section 173(4) by Ashutosh Brahmachari, a disciple of Swami Rambhadracharya.
Earlier, the High Court had stayed the arrest of the Shankaracharya and his disciple Pratyakchaitanya Mukundanand Giri while reserving its order on their anticipatory bail plea. The interim relief provided temporary protection as the legal proceedings progressed.
Reaction from Shankaracharya
Following the court’s decision, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati welcomed the order and reiterated his claim that the case against him was fabricated. Addressing a press conference, he emphasized that the court had considered their arguments before granting relief.
“Our counsel informed that the court has stayed our arrest after listening to both sides during the hearing. Our appeal was that the case is fabricated. Surely the judge found substance in our appeal, and so he gave the verdict. That is why we were saying from the beginning to present the truth in the court, and the verdict affirms that the court agrees this case has been false,” he said.
“We had always hoped for justice. But given the circumstances these days, trust has become a risky affair. But we were ready to present our side before the bench. We had believed that someone, somewhere, would not be biased and would fight for the truth,” he added.
All Inputs From ANI.
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