Delhi High Court asks CBI to take all possible steps to trace absconding self-styled spiritual preacher facing rape charges

Delhi High Court directs CBI to arrest absconding rape accused Virender Dev Dixit, who ran Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in Rohini
High Court seeks fresh status report from CBI, noting the uploading of videos by Dixit and supporters on YouTube and social media
Court orders CBI to investigate illegal confinement of girls and women, directs probe into similar ashrams and their bank accounts

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take all possible appropriate measures to arrest Virender Dev Dixit, who is facing rape charges and absconding for years.

Dixit was running Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya in Rohini area of the national capital. A plea filed in the High Court in 2017 by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment alleged that several minors and women were being illegally confined in Dixit’s “spiritual university” and they were not allowed to meet their parents.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad, while directing CBI to take further steps to trace Dixit, asked the central investigating agency to file a fresh status report in the matter, as per reports. The High Court was informed that self-styled spiritual preacher Dixit and his supporters have uploaded a large number of videos since March 2018 on YouTube channels and social media handles.

The High Court had asked the central investigating agency to trace Dixit and conduct a detailed probe in the “illegal confinement” of girls and women at Dixit’s “Spiritual University” where they were allegedly kept in “animal-like” conditions behind metal doors in a “fortress” surrounded by barbed wire.

The High Court, while noting that large number of such type of ashrams are operating in the country, directed the CBI to find out the owners of such ashrams and also find out the details of the bank accounts from which money is being released towards the payment of rent to the owners of such ashrams.

The central investigating agency had earlier informed the court that all efforts were being made to trace the whereabouts of Dixit. The High Court had earlier asked retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kiran Bedi to assist in the matter and had formed a committee under her supervision to monitor the functioning of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya, Rohini.

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