Allahabad HC grants anticipatory bail to Avimukteshwaranand in POCSO case

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 (POCSO) Act.

The order was passed by Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha on anticipatory bail applications moved by the seer and his disciple. Earlier, on 27 February, the court had stayed the arrest of Avimukteshwaranand, directing that he would not be taken into custody until the pronouncement of the order in the matter related to alleged sexual harassment of minor children and other offences.

The court had reserved its order after hearing the matter and directed the applicants to cooperate with the investigation.

The case pertains to an FIR lodged at Jhunsi police station in Prayagraj following directions from a POCSO court, alleging sexual exploitation of several ‘batuks’ (young disciples) by the accused.

Avimukteshwaranand, who claims the title of Shankaracharya of the Jyotirmath seat, has in recent years repeatedly clashed with BJP governments at both the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, accusing them of instrumentalising religious symbolism while sidelining traditional monastic authorities.

One of the key flashpoints was his criticism of the timing of the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya in January 2024, where he argued that conducting the pran pratishtha before completion of the temple structure departed from established religious norms and reflected political haste.

Tensions with the Yogi Adityanath government were also visible during the Magh Mela at the Sangam in Prayagraj in January-February, where disputes reportedly arose over allocation of space, protocol and recognition accorded to Shankaracharyas and other monastic leaders.

The episode triggered public sparring between sections of the religious establishment and the state administration, with Avimukteshwaranand accusing authorities of attempting to diminish the traditional status of Shankaracharyas in favour of state-aligned religious figures.

His assertion of the Shankaracharya title following the death of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati in 2022 has itself been contested by rival claimants, resulting in competing claims to the Jyotirmath (Joshimath) peeth and disagreements over representation at major religious congregations.

The seer has also criticised what he describes as the “politicisation” of Hindu religious institutions and questioned the increasing role of governments in shaping religious discourse, positions that have placed him at odds with sections of the ruling establishment.

Supporters of the seer have alleged that legal scrutiny against him comes in the backdrop of his outspoken criticism of the BJP and the Uttar Pradesh government, an allegation authorities have not accepted.

With PTI inputs