Swami Avimukteshwaranand challenges Yogi govt in POCSO case, says, ‘Some people have come wearing robes to destroy Sanatan Dharma’

Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, against whom an FIR has been registered in Uttar Pradesh under the POCSO Act, once again on Monday rejected the allegations of sexual offences involving minors.

Speaking to the press, Swami Avimukteshwaranand said they will cooperate in the investigation and added that the lies will eventually be exposed.

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“Even if the police take action to arrest us, we won’t oppose them. The public is watching everything. The story will be proven false, if not today, then tomorrow, if not tomorrow, then the day after,” Swami Avimukteshwaranand said, after an FIR was registered against him, his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari, and others, following a direction from a Special Court under the POCSO Act.

The Shankaracharya rejected the allegations of minors being sexually exploited at his Gurukul, asserting that they never entered the institution and CCTV footage was there to prove the same.

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“CCTV cameras are installed everywhere in Prayagraj. Our bus wasn’t parked inside our camp, because after the police brutality against us, we didn’t enter the camp. So, in this situation, everything is captured on CCTV. Those boys never entered our Gurukul, never studied there, and we have nothing to do with them. They are students of a school in Hardoi, as evidenced by their marksheets submitted in the lawsuit. So, when they never came here, and have nothing to do with this place, how can anyone do anything to them?” he explained to the media.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand further demanded that the alleged CD, which is being claimed to have evidence, should be made public by the complainant.

“They are spreading confusion by saying, ‘There’s a CD’. So why isn’t it being made public? These are all questions that will be asked in the coming days, and they will have to answer them. The public should understand that some people have come wearing robes to destroy Sanatan Dharma. They are calling themselves Hindus. They are working against Hindus, but they are doing so by proving themselves Hindu,” he alleged further.

#WATCH | Varanasi, UP: Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati says, “Even if the police take action to arrest us, we won’t oppose them. We will cooperate. The public is watching everything… The lies are eventually exposed. The story will be proven false, if not today, then… https://t.co/ukiIUlkXmc pic.twitter.com/vc88TgfS1a

— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2026

Details of FIR and allegations

It may be noted that the FIR was filed at the Jhunsi police station on the directions of the POCSO Special Court.

The FIR was filed late Saturday night under Section 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 3, 4(2), 6, 16, 17 and 51 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

The FIR mentions that the alleged incidents took place between January 13, 2025 and February 15, 2026.

Special Judge (POCSO) Vinod Kumar Chaurasia, who issued the directions after hearing the complaint of Ashutosh Brahmachari, observed that the material on record disclosed cognisable and punishable offences under relevant laws.

Referring to the complaint, statements of two alleged victims, testimony of independent witnesses, and an inquiry report submitted by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, the court ordered the registration of FIR without delay.

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When the court directions were issued on Saturday, Swami Avimukteshwaranand had dismissed the allegations, calling them “fabricated”.

The religious leader had further alleged that the complainant, Ashutosh Brahmachari, was a history-sheeter who had filed false cases against others in the past as well.

“The person named Ashutosh (the complainant) is registered as a history-sheeter under the Kandhla police station in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh. Many people are victims themselves and say that he (Ashutosh Pandey) has filed false cases against them too,” said Swami Avimukteshwaranand. “The accusation made by us has been made by the disciple of a person who calls himself a Jagadguru. What does this mean? It means that Sanatan Dharma is not under threat from any outsider, but rather it is these very people from within who want to destroy the Hindu religion, who want to destroy the institution called Shankaracharya,” he added.