Booked in POCSO case, Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati says won't resist arrest
Varanasi (PTI): Days after he was booked for alleged sexual abuse of two persons, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Monday said he will not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" will be exposed sooner or later.
Speaking to reporters, Saraswati said there are three courts -- the first is the public, which is following all the developments and will deliver its verdict; the second is his own conscience; and the third is the Supreme Court, which knows who is right and who is wrong.
"I have received clean chits from all three," he claimed.
An FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on Saturday on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
The FIR was registered under the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita following an order of a special court.
Saraswati said the truth will eventually come to light and the "fabricated story" will be exposed sooner or later.
He claimed that he remained in the fair area in full view of CCTV cameras and the media during the Magh Mela.
Responding to the allegations linked to his gurukul, he claimed that the boys in question never studied there nor did they take admission, and that their marksheets indicated they were students of a school in Hardoi.
He also dismissed claims about an alleged CD, asking why it has not been made public if it exists.
According to the FIR, the accused, posing as religious preceptors, allegedly subjected the minor and another youth to repeated sexual assault on multiple occasions over the past year.
It also alleged that the acts were carried out under the guise of guru seva and by misusing religious authority.
Saraswati hit the headlines recently for his confrontation with the organisers of the Magh Mela. He accused them of preventing him from taking a bath on Mauni Amavasya.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the case against Saraswati.
This is essential to protect the constitutional dignity of religious autonomy, Rai said in his letter.
He said Saraswati had previously publicly questioned the Uttar Pradesh government's administrative system in connection with the stampede at the Maha Kumbh.
Subsequently, incidents such as his being prevented from bathing at the Magh Mela and alleged mistreatment of his disciples came to light, drawing widespread criticism. Criticism cannot be suppressed by punitive power, the Congress leader said.
In light of the above constitutional principles, it is essential that the investigation is impartial, independent and completely free from political influence, Rai said.
This issue is not just about one individual, but is related to faith, constitutional rights and impartiality of governance, he said.
The people of the country want confidence that the rule of law is supreme in India and that abuse of any kind will not be protected, he said.
VIDEO | Varanasi: UP Police has filed a POCSO FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. Responding to the matter he said, “We had no prior information, and we had also told you people this earlier. Now the point is that this is a false case. What will they say? They will… pic.twitter.com/pruF4UaES3
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 24, 2026
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Tweets by journalist Rana Ayyub derogatory, communal: Delhi HC
_vb_72.jpeg)
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday termed certain tweets by journalist Rana Ayyub "highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal" as it sought her stand on a petition seeking removal of the allegedly objectionable content from social media.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, who was hearing a lawyer's petition alleging that Ayyub's tweets insulted Hindu Deities and "revered historical figures", observed that even an FIR was also directed to be registered against her in relation to the tweets and called upon the Centre, Delhi Police and X to "work in tandem" and "do the needful in 24 hours".
"Let the matter be called day after. Action is necessary in view of the highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal tweets by respondent no. 4 (Ayyub), pursuant to which FIR has also been directed against respondent no. 4 by a court of competent jurisdiction," the court ordered.
Observing that the "matter requires consideration", the court issued notice to the Centre, Ayyub as well as X on the petition seeking the immediate removal of the "highly derogatory, inflammatory, and communal tweets" by Ayyub.
The court also made Delhi Police a party to the case.
Petitioner Amita Sachdeva said she is a devout follower of the Sanatan Dharm, and on her complaint, a magisterial court had already directed the registration of an FIR while holding that the journalist's tweets prima facie disclose cognisable offences under the Indian Penal Code.
The plea said the petitioner approached X's resident grievance officer as well as the Grievance Appellate Committee for the removal of the content.
However, the committee declined to grant relief, stating the matter was sub-judice, it added.
The petitioner said the continued public availability of the tweets has caused continuing and direct injury to her religious sentiments and violated her fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 21 (Right to life and liberty) and 25 (Freedom of religion) of the Constitution.
In January 2025, a magisterial court directed Delhi Police to register an FIR against Ayyub for allegedly making derogatory posts in 2016-17 that included "insults to Hindu deities, spreading of anti-India sentiment and incitement of religious disharmony."
In an order dated January 25, 2025, it said, "From the facts of the case, prima facie cognisable offences are made out under sections 153 A (punishment for promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505 (statements conducing public mischief) of the IPC."
_vb_86.jpeg)
_vb_85.jpeg)
_vb_92.jpeg)