Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, a self-styled ‘godman’ accused of sexually harassing 17 women at a Delhi ashram, has been arrested in Agra. The 62-year-old is former director of the privately-run Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in Delhi’s upscale Vasant Kunj area. He faces multiple complaints, allegations against him include using abusive language, sending lewd messages to women and forcing physical contact.
On Friday, a Delhi court rejected Saraswati’s anticipatory bail plea in a case involving cheating, forgery, and conspiracy. Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur said custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the “entire chain of fraud” and noted that the accused was not traceable.
Allegations against Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati
Saraswati is accused of harassing students enrolled in post-graduate management diploma courses under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) scholarship.
The students who filed complaints said that some wardens at the management institute had introduced them to the Baba. According to the victims, he would call students to his room and lure them with promises of free foreign trips, as revealed in the lewd chats exchanged with them.
The investigation also revealed that Saraswati had secretly installed cameras inside the women’s hostel at the institute.
Additionally the court documents allege that Saraswati created a fraudulent trust to divert funds and properties belonging to the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research and a Sringeri-based religious organisation.
Action by Ashram
After the allegations surfaced earlier this week, the Delhi unit of the ashram expelled Saraswati from his post. The unit is a branch of the well-known Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetha in Sringeri, Karnataka. The religious body called his actions “inappropriate”.
Statements from 32 students have been recorded so far, with 17 of them accusing Chaitanyananda Saraswati of sending obscene messages and using abusive language. The complaint against him was filed on August 4 by the college administrator, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel.
A woman who filed a molestation case in 2016 said he “had vulture-like eyes” on her. She dropped out of the management institute within eight months of joining.
According to ResearchGate, a professional network for scientists and researchers, Chaitanyananda Saraswati is described as “a Monk of the Santana Vedic Tradition of Arsha Vidya Order, Shankara Lineage.” He has authored around 28 books and is presented online as a “noted professor.”
The profile on the website further claims he studied for over 12 years under Pujyasri Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidya, focusing on the canonical texts of Vedanta – the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita.