Thu Sep 25 20:13:39 UTC 2025: ## News Article:
**Absconding Indian Guru Faces Growing Charges of Sexual Harassment, Fraud, and Forgery**
**New Delhi, September 26, 2025** – Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, the director of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research in Vasant Kunj, is facing a widening investigation that includes accusations of sexually harassing 17 students, fraud, and forgery. The 62-year-old guru, who has been on the run for two months, was last traced to Mumbai and is believed to be planning an escape abroad.
Police investigations reveal Saraswati allegedly sublet properties belonging to the Sri Sharada Peetham (Sringeri Math) in Karnataka for personal profit and diverted funds to purchase luxury vehicles, including one with a forged diplomatic number plate.
Beyond financial misconduct, the First Information Report (FIR) indicates a pattern of abuse. Saraswati is accused of installing CCTV cameras in the women’s hostel, summoning students to his office and private room at odd hours, and making lewd remarks during trips disguised as “industrial visits.” Police are scrutinizing CCTV footage that reveals questionable activity in lobby and washroom areas.
The FIR also alleges that Saraswati converted his office into a “torture chamber” where female students, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, were exploited.
The Sri Sharada Institute has released a statement acknowledging the allegations and stressing its commitment to protecting students. The governing Peetham has ordered an independent audit revealing “fraud, forgery, cheating, and criminal breach of trust.” Saraswati’s power of attorney has been revoked, and a new governing council has been appointed to oversee the institute.
Saraswati has been booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to sexual harassment, insulting a woman’s modesty, and criminal intimidation. The investigation is ongoing.
First Piper 