3 min readPrayagrajUpdated: Feb 23, 2026 04:14 AM IST
A day after a special POCSO court in Prayagraj ordered the police to register an FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and others on charges of sexual assault on minor disciples during the Magh Mela last month, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday slammed the BJP government in the state for “getting such a cheap allegation levelled” against the seer.
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“Differences cause conflicts, but allegations too base”: Akhilesh
Speaking to mediapersons in Lucknow on Sunday, the SP chief said, “Sometimes, conflict happens due to differences of views. But will you now go to such an extent that you will get such base allegations made?”
The special judge of the POCSO court had directed the registration of an FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and Mukundanand Brahmachari of Sheshnath Ashram, Badrinath Dham, on an application moved by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj and others.
The court also directed that the investigation be carried out fairly, independently, expeditiously, and in compliance with the provisions of the POCSO Act, including those related to the protection of the victims’ identity and dignity.
Without taking the name of Ashutosh Brahmachari, Akhilesh said, “To insult Shankaracharya ji (Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati), they reached out to whom and brought them from where? Although we should not comment on the respected and revered Rambhadracharya ji. But if he (Ashutosh Brahmachari) is a disciple of him (Rambhadracharya), then I have committed a mistake. Once, I had withdrawn a cheating case lodged against the respected and revered Rambhadracharya. I should have sent him to jail.”
On Saturday, after the court’s order, Swami Saraswati had said that Ashutosh Brahmachari was a history-sheeter and a disciple of Rambhadracharya.
Swami Sarwaswati was in headlines last month when he was allegedly stopped from taking a holy dip at the Sangam in Prayagraj during the Magh Mela, and was served a notice by the Prayagraj Mela Authority over using the title of the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math in Uttarakhand.
Referring to the recent events surrounding the seer, the SP chief said, “See what kind of behaviour the government is doing with Shankaracharya-ji, who is most revered in our society… Our revered Shankaracharya-ji staged a sit-in at Magh Mela for several days when cold weather was at its peak. In our Sanatani system. No Shankaracharya would ever have been stopped from taking a dip in the Ganga. But this has happened first time in this government,” Akhilesh Yadav said.
