Authorites send 2nd notice to Avimukteshwaranand: Threaten to ban him from Magh Mela

The dispute between Swami Avimukteshwarananda and the Magh Mela administration in Prayagraj has escalated as the administration has sent the ‘Shankaracharya’ a second notice within 48 hours.

According to Shailendra Yogi Raj Sarkar, Avimukteshwarananda’s media in-charge, the notice, posted behind the camp, states, “Why shouldn’t you be permanently banned from the fair?”

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The notice stated, “On the day of Mauni Amavasya, you broke the barrier on the pontoon bridge reserved for emergencies. You attempted to approach the Sangam with a carriage without permission. The Sangam was crowded at the time. This created a risk of a stampede. Your actions disrupted order. If a satisfactory response is not received within 24 hours, the land and facilities provided to the organisation may be revoked.”

Additionally, the administration objected to a sign at a fair calling someone “Shankaracharya” because a long-standing Supreme Court case over the legitimate head of the Jyotish Peeth (Badrinath) means no one can officially use the title, leading officials to issue notices to Swami Avimukteshwaranand during the Magh Mela for claiming it, potentially violating court orders on the matter.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the fair administration had pasted the first notice at the gate of Shankaracharya’s camp. Citing a Supreme Court order dated October 14, 2022, it questioned how he had declared himself Shankaracharya. On the same day, Avimukteshwarananda sent an eight-page response to the fair administration. He warned the administration that if the notice was not withdrawn, he would file a defamation suit.

On January 18, on Mauni Amavasya, Avimukteshwarananda was going to take a bath in a palanquin when police stopped him and told him to proceed on foot. When he protested, his disciples were beaten up by the police. Angered by this, Avimukteshwarananda sat on a dharna outside the camp since then.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, a poster supporting Jyotish Peeth Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has been put up by Samajwadi Yuva Sabha leader Ashtutosh Singh outside the Samajwadi Party office after the former was served a government notice on ‘Shankaryacharya’ claim.

The poster claims that the action on the Shankaracharya is an insult to the entire Hindu community.

Samajwadi Party is supporting the Shankaracharya on the dispute, and yesterday leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, had met Shankaracharya in the Magh Mela area in Prayagraj.