The Supreme Court today directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to consider what the government could do in a plea seeking guidelines on curbing malpractices in Akharas run by babas.
The bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice AS Bopanna was hearing a petition filed by Dumpala Ramreddy, seeking directions to protect the inmates of Ashrams started by fake babas in the country from spreading of COVID 19 and frame guidelines in setting up of ashrams, spiritual entities in the country.
The petitioner has submitted that hundreds and thousands of disciples are residing in 17 fake ashrams in the country and the national capital where the petitioners’ daughter is one among such persons trapped by fake babas.
The petitioner has stated that his daughter, Santosh Rupa, has been trapped by a fake baba, Veerendra Dev Dixit, who is the founder of the Adhyatmika Vishwa Vidyalaya at Rohini in Delhi. This baba has been absconding for the past three years.
It has further been submitted that the apex body of sages i.e. the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad has declared 17 babas as fake and cautioned the public from them.
The petitioner has alleged that due to inaction of the government authorities, fake babas are running the ashrams and trapping innocent people, particularly women. Thousands of women have been forced to stay in the ashrams and they were given drugs and narcotics so that they would not leave the place.
The petitioner has, thus, prayed for a direction to empty the ashrams run by fake babas, including the Adhyatmika Vidyalaya at Rohini in Delhi which is having hundreds of women inmates in unhygienic conditions to avoid spreading of COVID 19.
The bench has posted the matter for next hearing after 2 weeks.
-India Legal Bureau