Overview
- Swami Avimukteshwaranand has filed an anticipatory bail application in the Allahabad High Court following his naming in a POCSO FIR in Prayagraj.
- The National Human Rights Commission has taken cognisance of a complaint challenging the FIR and is expected to seek reports from the Uttar Pradesh government and the DGP.
- Jhunsi police registered the case under the POCSO Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the seer, his disciple Mukundanand, and two to three unidentified persons, with the investigation underway.
- Complainant Ashutosh Brahmachari has publicly named additional individuals including Prakash Upadhyay and Arvind and claims medical examinations indicate molestation, assertions not confirmed by a court finding.
- The seer denies the allegations as a fabricated conspiracy and says he will cooperate with police, while Congress leaders meet him and stage protests calling for an impartial, high-level inquiry.