Siddaganga seer Shivakumara Swami passes away

The Sivagiri Mutt has submitted a formal memorandum, concerning the marginalisation of backward communities in Kerala, to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Sivagiri Mutt President Swami Sachidananda said on Saturday.

In an emotional and strongly worded statement, Brahmachari Ashutosh Maharaj alleged that he and his followers are facing serious threats after the Allahabad High Court granted interim relief to Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati in a POCSO-related case.

Jyotirmath Peetham Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati's counsel on Friday asserted that the case filed against the Shankaracharya was fundamentally baseless and highlighted discrepancies within the police reports and supporting documents, arguing they lacked the consistency required for legal validity.

Additionally, the Batuks (young disciples) of the monastery took the Shankaracharya's blessings while raising slogans of "Gau Hamari Mata Hai" (The Cow is our Mother) and "Shankaracharya Ki Jai" (Victory to the Shankaracharya).

"Our counsel informed that the court has stayed our arrest after listening to both sides during the hearing. Our appeal was that the case is fabricated. Surely the judge found substance in our appeal, and so he gave the verdict. That is why we were saying from the beginning to present the truth in the court, and the verdict affirms that the court agrees this case has been false," Swami Avimukteshwaranand said while addressing a press conference.