Delhi ashram rocked by scandal: 17 students accuse Swami of sexual harassment

The former director of a prominent ashram in Delhi’s upscale Vasant Kunj locality has been booked for allegedly sexually harassing more than a dozen women students, police said.

Ashram director booked

Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, also known as Partha Sarathy, who headed the Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management, faces a case for allegedly harassing students enrolled in post-graduate management diploma courses under the economically-weaker sections (EWS) scholarship quota.

The complaint was filed on August 4 at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station. During the enquiry, the statements of 32 female PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) students at the institute were recorded.

According to the police, at least 17 out of 32 women students who recorded their statements accused him of abusive behaviour, sending obscene messages, and making unwanted physical advances.

Victims further alleged that some women faculty members and administrative staff pressured them to comply with his demands, while wardens working at the ashram introduced them to the accused.

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Car with fake number plate

Based on their statements, a case of sexual harassment and related charges has been registered against Swami Chaitanyananda, with 16 victims later deposing before a magistrate, Delhi police said.

A case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

CCTV footage has been reviewed and raids were conducted at both the institute and the accused’s residence. However, he is still absconding, with sources cited by media reports suggesting he was last traced near Agra. Multiple police teams are searching for him.

During the probe, the police also recovered a Volvo car used by Chaitanyananda from the institute’s basement. The vehicle bore a fake diplomatic registration plate (39 UN 1) and has been seized.

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Ashram expels Swami

Following the allegations, the ashram administration removed him from his post and expelled him. The ashram unit that the accused headed is a branch of a prominent ashram in South India.

The Delhi facility, a branch of the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetha, Sringeri, has distanced itself from the allegations, declaring Swami Chaitanyananda's actions as “illegal, inappropriate, and against the Peetha’s interests".

"Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, formerly known as Swami Parthasarathy, has engaged in activities that are illegal, inappropriate... As a result, the Peeth has severed all ties with him... (It) has also lodged complaints with the relevant authorities regarding illegal acts committed by Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati," the ashram said in a statement.

This is not the first time Chaitanyananda Saraswati has faced criminal allegations. In 2009, he was reportedly booked in Delhi's Defence Colony on charges of fraud and molestation, and in 2016, a woman in Vasant Kunj reportedly lodged a molestation complaint against him.