The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the CBI to submit its report on the whereabouts of the founder of an ashram in north Delhi accused of keeping girls in illegal confinement in the garb of religious teachings.
A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar warned that it could direct the CBI to register a kidnapping case if the girls rescued from there are found to be minors.
“Don’t resort to misuse of law. We will direct the CBI to register kidnapping cases if the children are found to be minor,” the HC remarked.
The Bench took note of submission made by a court-appointed panel that the ashram Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya and its founder Virender Dev Dixit were making the girls housed in the ashram lodge complaints against their family members.
The panel said these complaints against family members appear to have been lodged to deter them from pursuing cases against the ashram and Mr. Dixit.
‘Extremely suspicious’
Deepak D’Silva, an alleged close associate of Mr. Dixit, told the court that he has no clue about the present location of Mr. Dixit.
Terming the conduct of Mr. Dixit as “extremely suspicious”, the Bench remarked, “We have not removed the inmates to the Nari Niketan and not disrupted the operation. But we do not approve of women staying in cages even of their own will”.
The Bench said that while it will not interfere in any genuine and legitimate spiritual activity, it will “not countenance any fraudulent or illegal activity”.
The HC directed the CBI to file a status report within two weeks. It also directed the police stations in Vijay Vihar, Uttam Nagar, Karawal Nagar, Nangloi and Palam to submit all items seized from the ashrams to the CBI.
The CBI told the Bench that it has registered three cases against Mr. Dixit and the ashram for allegedly keeping several women and minor girls hostage at his ashram here. The CBI has set up a three-member SIT to probe the allegations.
