Court rejects Chaitanyananda's bail; cites gravity of offense, 16 victims
What's the story
A Delhi court has deferred the decision on the bail plea of self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who is accused of molesting several women students. The decision was taken by Additional Sessions Judge Deepti Devesh on Monday, October 13. The judge observed that the number of victims significantly increases the gravity of the offense and adjourned proceedings to October 27 for further consideration.
Court proceedings
How can all 16 be persuaded, judge asks defense
"The gravity of the offense increases multifold because of the number of victims...there are 16 victims," Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Deepti Devesh of Patiala House Court said. Judge Devesh also questioned the defense's claim that Saraswati had been falsely implicated. She asked, "But there are 16 victims...It is possible to induce one, two, possibly even three, but how is it possible to persuade all 16?" "The statements of victims, all 16 of them. Are they not substantive evidence?" she added.
Defense arguments
All offenses except one bailable: Defense counsel
The defense counsel sought to downplay the charges, saying, "The allegations are that he put colors on his disciples on Holi, and he had handshakes with them." He also argued that all offenses except one under BNS Section 232, which was added later during the investigation, were bailable. This section deals with threatening someone to give false evidence and carries a maximum sentence of three years.
Evidence issues
Investigation hit as original WhatsApp chats missing
The investigation has run into hurdles as the original WhatsApp chats of the complainants are missing due to the disappearing messages feature. The investigating officer (IO) informed the court that only screenshots are available. Three women allegedly involved in pressuring students to delete chats were "bound down," but not arrested, according to the IO.
Arrest details
FIR accuses Saraswati of sending inappropriate messages
Saraswati was arrested by the Delhi Police last month from a hotel in Agra after being on the run for 50 days The FIR against him accuses him of forcing female students to visit his quarters late at night and sending inappropriate text messages at odd hours. Moreover, he also allegedly tracked their movements through his phone.