Three co-accused granted bail in Chaitanyananda case

A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to three co-accused in a sexual assault case involving self-styled godman Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who remains in judicial custody.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Animesh Kumar ordered the release of Shweta, Bhavana and Kajal on bail upon furnishing surety bonds of Rs 20,000 each.

Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 16 students at a private management institute in southwest Delhi, was arrested from Agra on September 27. The former chairman of the institute is alleged to have molested several women.

Earlier, Delhi Police filed a detailed 1,077-page chargesheet naming 43 witnesses. Investigators reportedly recovered significant digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats from Saraswati’s mobile phone. In one group, he was allegedly seen making objectionable remarks about photographs of female students.

Police also seized a sex toy and five pornographic CDs from his room. Charges have been filed under Sections 75(2), 79, 351(2) and 232 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The court has already taken cognisance of the chargesheet.

Investigators allege that Saraswati targeted female students from economically weaker backgrounds and behaved inappropriately with them. He purportedly accessed the institute’s CCTV system and had cameras installed near the washroom under the pretext of security, enabling him to monitor students closely.

Besides allegations of sexual misconduct, he is also accused of financial fraud. According to the police, he rented institutional properties to private firms for personal gain and used the proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles. A BMW car was seized from his possession. Investigators allege he often took female students out in these vehicles and behaved indecently.