Self-styled godman facing sexual harassment charges linked to 28 books with celebrity forewords

A 62-year-old self-styled godman, accused of sexual harassment by multiple students at a private management institute in New Delhi, has allegedly authored 28 books featuring forewords and reviews by prominent personalities, officials said on Wednesday.

Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, previously known as Swami Parthasarathy, has had 17 female students provide statements to a magistrate regarding their allegations against him. He is currently on the run, with Delhi Police forming teams to apprehend him, a senior police officer said.

The accused was a ‘sanchalak’ (he often referred to himself as the 'chairman of the institute') at the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management, run by the Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, one of the four seats of Shankaracharyas, in Vasant Kunj, police stated.

The accused has allegedly authored 28 books, many of which are available for sale on e-commerce platforms, including 'Global Trade in the New Millennium', 'Transforming Personality', 'Human Values in Modern Management', 'Corporate Governance: Principles, Mechanisms & Practice', and 'Forget Classroom Learning'.

On the e-commerce platform selling these books, the foreword for ‘Forget Classroom Learning' is attributed to Steve Jobs, the Co-Founder of Apple Inc., who stated that it is "...an unprecedented preparatory and guiding manual for the applied world of management." The review also mentions Ban Ki-moon, the Former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

In the 'about the author' section on the e-commerce site, Saraswati is described as an "eminent professor, noted author, orator, educationist, spiritual philosopher and philanthropist, and an eminent personality of management academia in India and abroad." "He is the Chancellor cum Chairman, Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management (SIIM) University and Chairman cum Managing Trustee of Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research Foundation, New Delhi and Ramakrishna-Vivekanand International Foundation (RKVIF), New Delhi," the bio on the site mentions.

It also says that 'he is a member of the Joint Commission of BRICS Countries and the Chairman of Asia-Pacific Development Initiative, a joint economic forum of 25 Asia-Pacific countries.'

This is not the first instance in which Saraswati has faced such allegations. Police sources state a case of fraud and molestation was filed against him at the Defence Colony Police Station in 2009, and another molestation complaint was lodged at the Vasant Kunj Police Station in 2016.

In the latest incident, a complaint was made on August 4 at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station. During the inquiry, the statements of 32 female students enrolled in the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) program who received EWS scholarships were recorded. Seventeen of these students alleged that Saraswati used abusive language, sent obscene messages, and made unwanted physical advances.

Additionally, police indicated that three women, working as faculty members and administrators at the institute, allegedly aided the accused by pressuring students to comply with his demands.