’Saint’s conduct, character important than legal redress’: Delhi High Court on Avimukteshwaranand’s defamation case

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, August 13, issued a notice in connection with a civil defamation suit filed by Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati against Govindanand Saraswati.

On Monday, a civil defamation suit was filed against Govindanand Saraswati by the Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, following allegations that Avimukteshwaranand was a “fake baba.” Besides this, Govindanand Saraswati also accused the later of receiving political support from the Indian National Congress Party.

Swami Govindananda Saraswati recently levelled sensational allegations against Avimukteshwaranand, claiming he does not deserve titles like sadhu, sant, or sanyasi. He also criticised the media for addressing him as a Shankaracharya.

The Delhi High Court bench presided by Justice Navin Chawla heard the case and issued a notice regarding the interim injunction case, and stated that the saints should not be concerned with defamation.

"A saint's true standing is not affected by such disputes, implying that the focus should be on the saint's conduct and character rather than seeking legal redress for defamation," ANI reported, citing Delhi High Court's observation. The court asserted that respect and reputation are established through actions rather than legal battles.

The court deferred the hearing in the matter for August 29. Furthermore, the court did not grant an ex-parte ad interim order at this stage. This implies that no temporary conclusion can be drawn until both parties have been heard.

During the hearing, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand's lawyer accused Govindanand Saraswati of making multiple derogatory comments, such as 'fake baba,' 'fraudulent baba,' and 'thief baba.' Furthermore, he alleged that Govindanand Saraswati accused his client of engaging in various serious criminal activities. These accusations included kidnapping, being a history-sheeter, and stealing gold worth ₹7,000 crore, in addition to maintaining illicit relationships.

Furthermore, the counsel for Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati contested that the only relevant case filed against him when the Akhilesh Yadav government was in power was eventually withdrawn by the UP government led by Yogi Adityanath.

(With inputs from ANI)