Allahabad High Court Dismisses Contempt Plea Against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati

The Allahabad High Court today dismissed a contempt petition filed against Swami Avimukteshwaranand, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, alleging violation of the High Court-imposed conditions in a POCSO case. A bench of Justice Dinesh Pathak rejected the petition, saying that a contempt case is not made out. It added that if the conditions for bail are being violated, a bail cancellation petition can be filed. For context, the contempt application was moved by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj seeking strict punitive action against Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple, Mukundanand Brahmachari. Both religious leaders are currently facing grave allegations of sexual penetrative assault against minors. The plea alleged that the opposite parties are deliberately violating the High Court-imposed conditions on them while they were granted anticipatory bail in a POCSO case. These directives were passed vide orders dated February 27 (interim order), and March 25 (final order). Ashutosh Maharaj, who is also the first informant in the FIR against the alleged contemnors, claimed that despite the court's strict directives not to interfere with the judicial process, the alleged contemnors have flouted their bail conditions by conducting unauthorized public rallies and meetings in the home districts of the minor victims. The plea further alleged that through these public demonstrations and provocative media statements, the opposite parties are actively attempting to intimidate the minor victims and their families, create an atmosphere of fear and illegally influence the ongoing judicial proceedings against them. "…the opposite parties are organizing Yatras/processions in various districts without the permission of the competent authority and are going to the home district of the child victim and organizing public meetings and giving speeches and making provocative statements, due to which an atmosphere of fear and insecurity has been created among the minor child victims and their families and there is a possibility of the judicial process being affected and the safety and privacy of the victims being seriously affected…they are continuously spreading confusion in the society by propagating through media and social media and are trying to influence the court proceedings", the plea stated. The petition also stated that during the aforementioned programs, religious figures repeatedly make inflammatory, misleading, and false statements on various news channels, social media platforms, and public forums, alleging that cases against them are being filed "at the behest of the Government". Ashutosh Maharaj argued that these statements are intended to create confusion in society, cast doubt on the court's impartiality, and influence the judicial process, which constitutes contempt punishable under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. The contempt application further claimed that a reward of Rs. 21 Lakhs had been publicly announced to cut off the nose of the Applicant/First Informant (Ashutosh Maharaj), which resulted in a life-threatening attack on him inside a moving train on March 8, 2026, due to which he also sustained injuries. Furthermore, the applicant had also claimed that he had received a death threat via a WhatsApp call from a Pakistani mobile number, wherein he was threatened to be killed along with his advocate in a bomb blast if he did not withdraw the cases. The petitioner argued that these continuous threats and acts of violence constitute a direct interference with the administration of justice.Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (AB) 278

Allahabad High Court Dismisses Contempt Plea Against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati

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Allahabad High Court Dismisses Contempt Plea Against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati

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