The Delhi High Court on Monday said the affairs of ashrams associated with self-styled spiritual preacher Virender Dev Dixit require an inquiry, questioning who is now accountable for running the institutions following his death.
The court was hearing a matter related to allegations that several women and girls were being held in illegal confinement at the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya ashram in Rohini. The litigation dates back to 2017, when the NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment approached the High Court alleging that minor girls and women were being confined there and were not being allowed to meet their parents. The High Court had earlier directed the CBI to submit a status report on allegations of rape against Mr. Dixit.
During the hearing, the Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the Station House Officer of Vijay Vihar police station to register a missing person case and initiate a probe after women residing at the ashram informed the court that an inmate was missing while her belongings remained on the premises. The CBI also informed the court that Mr. Dixit, who had been absconding for a long time, was dead.
The Bench subsequently questioned who was responsible for running the ashrams and said society had a legitimate right to know what activities were being carried out there.
“Somebody should own the responsibility. We are not coming in way of anybody’s faith or spiritual beliefs. Everybody is free to practise that, provided it does not disturb public order,” the Bench said.
It said that if no individual or group came forward to take responsibility for the affairs of the ashrams, the State may have to step in.
The Bench said the manner in which the ashrams were being run required scrutiny. “Courts cannot interfere with their activities provided they are not disturbing public order. That is the only test. But nobody can be left unaccountable,” it said.
The missing woman’s parents, in their application, said she had spoken to them through a video call but refused to visit them despite her father being seriously ill and undergoing treatment in hospital. Their counsel alleged that women at the ashram were being drugged and that some inmates were minors.
The Bench also questioned the financial affairs of the ashram, asking what prevented the Income Tax Department from examining its accounts.
The police have been asked to complete the inquiry and place its findings before the court on August 31.
Published – August 25, 2026 12:01 am IST
