New Delhi | The Delhi Police informed the Patiala House Court that Chaitanyanand Saraswati, currently in judicial custody over a molestation case, is not a recognized sanyasi.
This statement came as a response to Saraswati’s plea, where he requested permission to wear religious robes and access spiritual texts while in custody. The plea is part of a broader petition in which he also asked for sanyasi food, garments, spectacles, medicines, and a copy of the seizure memo related to his arrest.
The case, registered at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station, was heard by Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Animesh Kumar. During the proceedings, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) opposed the requests, citing potential law and order issues within the jail if religious privileges were granted.
However, advocate Manish Gandhi, representing Saraswati, strongly contested these claims. He argued that his client had undergone Diksha—a formal initiation into the sanyas order—and had changed his name from Parthasarathi to Chaitanyanand Saraswati. Gandhi added that no challenge to this initiation had been raised by the religious institution (Peetham) involved.
The court granted Gandhi additional time to submit documents proving the religious status of the accused. The matter was scheduled for further hearing at 2:30 PM the following day.
In an earlier hearing on October 8, the court directed the Delhi Police to provide a detailed response, citing the need to reference applicable sections of the Jail Manual regarding the allowance of spiritual garments and literature.
JMFC Animesh Kumar remarked that the police reply failed to properly justify the denial of Saraswati’s requests. “Prima facie, there appears to be no restriction on spiritual attire or books,” the magistrate noted. He also criticized the police for including subjective remarks about the accused’s worthiness to wear religious clothing, calling them inappropriate and uncalled for.
Meanwhile, the court also addressed a separate plea by Saraswati seeking the seizure memo. While the defense argued there’s no legal restriction under the BNSS against providing it, the APP countered by stating that such documents are only shared post-charge sheet filing.
Saraswati has also asked the court for additional bedding due to his age and medical conditions. The interim order allowing him specific food and medications will remain in effect until the next hearing.
The court had earlier remanded Saraswati to judicial custody until October 17.
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