Allahabad High Court seeks UP's response over plea alleging bid to frame Shankaracharya.

The Allahabad High Court has sought response from the Uttar Pradesh government on a writ petition alleging that a Shahjahanpur resident was pressured to falsely implicate Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati in a sexual assault case and was threatened after refusing to do so.

A division bench of Justice J.J. Munir and Justice Indrajeet Shukla, while hearing the petition filed by Ramashankar Dixit, directed the State's counsel to obtain instructions within a week and listed the matter for further hearing on July 16.

Court also ordered that Ashutosh Brahmachari alias Ashutosh Pandey be impleaded as a respondent in the case.

In addition, the bench directed the Registrar (Compliance) to communicate its order within 24 hours to the Inspector General of Police, Bareilly Zone, the Superintendent of Police, Shahjahanpur, and the Station House Officer of Sadar Bazar Police Station, Shahjahanpur through the concerned Chief Judicial Magistrates.

According to the writ petition, Dixit, a resident of Shahjahanpur, has alleged that on February 18, 2026, three unidentified persons approached him with an offer of money to falsely implicate Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati in a fabricated sexual assault case. When he allegedly refused, he was threatened with serious consequences.

The petitioner has further claimed that after he informed the local police about the incident, security personnel were deployed at his residence. However, he has alleged that even the policemen assigned for his protection attempted to influence him into changing his statement. Despite making further complaints to senior police authorities, he contends that no effective action has been taken.

Apprehending danger to his life and that of his family members, Dixit approached the high court seeking directions for adequate police protection and appropriate action against those allegedly attempting to coerce him into lodging a false criminal case.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand POCSO case forms backdrop of dispute

The present petition arises against the backdrop of an earlier criminal case involving Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati.

Earlier, acting on an application filed by Ashutosh Maharaj, who claims to be the president of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust, Mathura, a Special POCSO Court at Prayagraj had directed the police to register an FIR alleging sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the seer and others.

It is this background that the petitioner claims was being used to pressure him into becoming part of another allegedly fabricated criminal case.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand was already at the centre of controversies around the same period. In the weeks preceding the POCSO case, the seer had courted controversy after accusing the Yogi Adityanath government of insulting him during the Magh Mela by preventing his ceremonial procession to the Sangam.

He had also been vocal in demanding a nationwide ban on cow slaughter and had repeatedly criticised the government over issues concerning Sanatan Dharma. Following the registration of the POCSO case, the Shankaracharya alleged that the FIR was a "false" and "fabricated" case. He maintained that a proper investigation would establish his innocence.

Ashutosh Pandey, also known as Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj, has been associated with litigation concerning the Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute. In recent months, Ashutosh has himself approached the Allahabad High Court challenging the opening of a police history sheet against him, contending that it was opened as a consequence of the controversy surrounding the case. 

[Inputs: Hindustan Times]

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