Prayagraj POCSO court orders FIR against Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand, disciple

Prayagraj: A POCSO court of the district court in Prayagraj on Saturday ordered registration of an FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Dandi Swami Pratyakt Chaitanya Mukundanand Giri in connection with allegations of sexual abuse of minors.

The order was passed by Special Judge (POCSO Act) Vinod Kumar Chaurasia while hearing an application filed by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj seeking registration of a case and a detailed probe.

The court directed the police to lodge an FIR and conduct a thorough investigation. Following the order, the case will be registered at Jhunsi police station.

The court took note of the inquiry report submitted by the Prayagraj Police Commissioner and reserved its order on February 13 before pronouncing the direction on Saturday. The application was moved under Section 173(4), seeking action against the accused.

The complainant, a disciple of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, produced two minors before the court.

Their statements were recorded in a closed courtroom in the presence of counsel for both sides and were video recorded as per procedure.

Ashutosh Brahmachari told reporters that repeated approaches to the police had not yielded any response, prompting him to seek judicial intervention.

He alleged that the minors were subjected to sexual abuse and said the court’s order had given him hope of justice.

During the hearing, counsel for the accused opposed the plea and sought time to prepare the defence, stating that the allegations were unproven. The complainant also informed the court that he had received threats and requested protection. The judge ordered the courtroom to be cleared before recording the minors’ statements.