Seer gets anticipatory bail in POCSO case; court bars media statements
The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari in a case registered against them under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The order was passed by Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha on the anticipatory bail applications moved by the seer and his disciple. However, the court restrained both the first informant and the applicants from making any statements before the media in this regard.
Earlier, on February 27, the court had stayed the arrest of Avimukteshwaranand, directing that he would not be taken into custody till the pronouncement of the order in the matter related to alleged sexual harassment of minor children and other offences. The court had also reserved its order after hearing the matter and directed the applicants to cooperate with the investigation.
The case pertains to an FIR lodged at the Jhunsi police station in Prayagraj following directions from a POCSO court, alleging sexual exploitation of several ‘batuks‘ (young disciples) by the accused. During the last hearing, Justice Sinha had also directed the state government and the complainant, Ashutosh Pandey alias Ashutosh Brahmchari, to file their replies.
Avimukteshwaranand had maintained that the allegations were fabricated, while the complainant had hoped justice would be served after the evidence was submitted in court. The defence had argued that the complainant has a criminal history and that the seer has been falsely implicated, also claiming that the alleged victims never stayed at his ashram.
The UP government had opposed the plea on technical grounds, saying it was filed directly in the high court without first approaching a sessions court. The seer had even expressed willingness to undergo a narcoanalysis test to establish the truth. He also questioned the validity of medical reports and alleged that the complainant was influencing the case.
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