Court Orders FIR Against Shankaracharya for Minor Abuse Claims

A special court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, ordered police to register a first information report on Saturday against Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari over allegations of sexual abuse involving minors. The FIR was lodged late that night at Jhunsi police station, marking the start of an official investigation into claims of repeated offenses at a gurukul and during religious events, including the Magh Mela, over the past year.

The case stems from a petition filed by Ashutosh Brahmachari, a religious figure and disciple of Swami Rambhadracharya, who accused the leaders of exploiting their positions as spiritual guides to assault two individuals, one of them a minor. According to the complaint, the incidents occurred between January 13, 2025, and February 15, 2026, under the pretext of "guru seva" and religious authority. The FIR invokes sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, including provisions for penetrative sexual assault and using children for pornographic purposes, as well as relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Special Judge Vinod Kumar Chaurasia of...