9 women who accused Chaitanyananda of molestation quizzed, Delhi police tell court

Delhi Police on Monday informed a city court that it has questioned nine of the 16 women who alleged that they were molested by Chaitanyananda Saraswati, 62, a former director of a private institute in Vasant Kunj.  Additional Sessions Judge Deepti Devesh was hearing the bail plea of the accused, who was arrested on September 28.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on November 7 and directed the prosecution to submit a status report.

The investigating officer (IO) informed the court that the police had approached all 16 victims, but seven were not in town to record their statements. “They would be back by next week, after festival holidays, after which they would be examined,” the IO said.

While hearing the bail plea of the accused, the court, on October 13, observed that the gravity of the offence increased manifold due to the number of victims.

According to police complaints, Mr. Saraswati allegedly forced female students to visit his quarters late at night and sent them inappropriate messages at odd hours. He is also accused of monitoring the victims’ movements through his phone. 

A police investigation revealed that the accused operated multiple bank accounts under different names and withdrew over ₹50 lakh after the FIR was filed. The police said he had submitted documents with varying particulars to open these accounts. Fake visiting cards claiming links to the United Nations and BRICS were also recovered from him. 

The Delhi police arrested Mr. Saraswati on September 28.