In the alleged sexual abuse case involving minors, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has gotten a big relief from the Allahabad High Court. The court has granted anticipatory bail to him and his disciple Swami Mukundanand Giri in this case. A single bench of Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha was hearing the anticipatory bail pleas of Swami Avimukteshwaranand and his disciple Swami Mukundananda. 

The high court had also stayed the arrest of both of them from granting anticipatory bail to Avimukteshwaranand. The court had, on February 27, reserved its verdict after the completion of the hearing by the Allahabad High Court. Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Swami Mukundanand Giri had filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court to avoid arrest. 

Arrest on anticipatory bail plea: The court had stayed the arrest of both of them before giving this order today. This was not the first time that the court had granted relief to Swami Avimukteshwaranand and his disciple. Earlier, the Allahabad High Court had granted interim relief and stayed the arrest of Swami Avimukteshwaranand and directed that no coercive action be taken against him.

The state government explained the seriousness of the POCSO case.

During the hearing, the Additional Advocate General, appearing for the state government, opposed the anticipatory bail and apprised the court of the seriousness of the case registered under the POCSO Act. He contended that the petitioner should have approached the trial court first.