Varanasi, Feb 21 Swami Avimukteshwaranand, on Saturday, asserted that the FIR ordered against him in a child sexual abuse case would ultimately expose what he described as "false matter", expressing full faith in the judicial process and saying that the truth would emerge through investigation.
Speaking in media persons, Swami Avimukteshwaranand said the legal process would ultimately reveal the truth.
"Filing a case is appropriate, because once the case is registered, further investigation and evidence gathering will take place, and the truth about the false case filed against us will come to light," he added.
The seer also questioned the credibility of the complainant, claiming that the person making allegations had a criminal background.
"The individual who has levelled accusations against me is himself a history-sheeter. His record proves this," Swami Avimukteshwaranand alleged, further claiming that the person's primary activity was filing fabricated cases against people to extort money.
Referring to Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya, the seer alleged that the complainant portrayed himself as the Jagadguru's disciple.
He further claimed that attempts were being made to silence voices raised for cow protection.
"We have complete faith in the judiciary. We are not like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that we would want cases against us to be withdrawn. We will continue to speak without fear," he said, adding that he believed truth would prevail.
Meanwhile, his disciple, Swami Mukundanand Giri, also rejected the allegations, calling them a conspiracy to defame the Shankaracharya tradition.
"This is a legal process. We only want the court to hear our side fully and consider the correct facts as soon as possible," he said.
Earlier, Special POCSO Judge Vinod Kumar Chaurasia directed the Jhunsi Police Station in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj to register an FIR on a complaint filed by Ashutosh Brahmachari.
The court ordered further investigation after reviewing a preliminary inquiry report submitted by the Prayagraj Police Commissioner Jogendra Kumar.
The case pertains to allegations of sexual abuse of minors under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor