Court junks pre-arrest bail plea of self-styled godman in forgery case

New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) A Delhi court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati in an alleged cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy case against him.

Additional sessions judge Hardeep Kaur underscored the "nascent stage" of the investigation besides his custodial interrogation being required by the police to "establish the entire chain of fraud, cheating, conspiracy and misappropriation of funds".

The court referred to the IO's contention that the accused was not available at his given address and his cell phone was switched off.

The order took into account the "seriousness of allegations" and the "gravity" of the crime.

The investigation so far, the court noted, showed creation of a fraudulent trust, namely ‘Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research Foundation Trust’, by Chaitanyananda "to disburse" the property of ‘Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research’ in the "fraudulent trust" created by him.

The court said the accused vested a specific plot into the fraudulent trust and sublet the same without any approval or intimation to the authority concerned.

“Revenues and funds generated from plot number 7 were intended for the benefit of Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research and the peetham (Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri), but the accused diverted these revenues and funds for his own benefit and criminally misappropriated the property and funds of the peetham," the order said.

The court noted the allegations that Chaitanyananda fabricated All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) records, and that he was also operating an account of Union Bank of India in two different names.

"At the time of opening of these accounts and transfer of accounts to another branch, different documents with different particulars were given. There are also serious allegations that the accused has withdrawn approximately Rs 50-55 lakhs from the account of Yes Bank in the name of the trust after filing of the present FIR," the court said.

The accused also allegedly forged documents, obtained two passports in different names and operated some bank accounts in different names, it noted.

The court observed the subsequent invocation of Section 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) upon the realisation that the accused was also involved in criminal breach of trust.

The Vasant Kunj (north) police station registered an FIR against Chaitanyananda based on the complaint by one P A Murali alleging that the godman and others were involved in conspiracy, forgery, impersonation, cheating, fraud, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of properties and funds belonging to the peetham.

Murali said V R Gowrishankar was the then CEO and administrator of the peetham via a general power of attorney dated October 26, 1989, but the same was revoked, and the complainant was authorised to represent the peetham from March 2024 onward.

He claimed after taking over as the CEO, an audit revealed that the accused, along with others defrauded and misappropriated the property and funds of the peetham.

According to the complainant, the peetham was also involved in various charitable, educational and social initiatives, and established an AICTE-approved institution, Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research in Vasant Kunj area in the capital.

Murali alleged that the accused created a fraudulent trust named Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research Foundation Trust, as opposed to the actual 'Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research'.

The accused further changed the name of the fraudulent trust to SRISIIM Research Foundation and also vested it with powers to disburse the property of the peetham, he added.

The FIR was registered for offences of cheating by personation, cheating by dishonestly inducing a person to deliver property or consent to its retention, forgery, forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine, criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

The self-styled godman has also been booked for allegedly sexually harassing 17 female students of a private management institute here. PTI MNR MNR AMK AMK