Court junks pre-arrest bail plea of self-styled godman in forgery case

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati in an alleged cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy case against him.

Additional sessions judge Hardeep Kaur underscored the “nascent stage” of the investigation besides his custodial interrogation being required by the police to “establish the entire chain of fraud, cheating, conspiracy and misappropriation of funds”.

The court referred to the IO’s contention that the accused was not available at his given address and his cell phone was switched off.

The order took into account the “seriousness of allegations” and the “gravity” of the crime.

Court noted that the investigation is still at an early stage and custodial interrogation is necessary.

The court observed that the accused’s whereabouts are unknown and his mobile phone is switched off, emphasising the seriousness of the case and the need to establish the full chain of alleged fraud, misappropriation, and trust-related offences.