SC agrees to hear PIL for closing down 'Ashrams' by fake Babas

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a PIL for a direction to the Centre to close down the 'Ashrams' and spiritual centres run by fake 'Babas' for having kept hundreds of women inmates over there in unhygienic conditions, triggering threat of Covid-19 spread.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices R Subhash Reddy and A S Bopanna asked petitioner Dumpala Ramreddy, a resident of Secunderabad, to serve the copy of the petition to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

The court asked Mehta to look into the matter as it gave a bad name to everyone. It decided to consider the plea after two weeks.

The petitioner also sought framing of guidelines in setting up of 'Ashrams', spiritual entities in the country.

The petition filed through advocate Sravan Kumar contended that the government authorities failed to take any action against "fake babas" who were running the Ashrams and trapping the innocent people particularly women. Thousands of women have been forced to stay in the Ashrams and were given drugs and narcotics, he alleged.

"Though very serious criminal cases were registered against Veerendra Dev Dixit, Asharam Bapu, Ram Rahim baba etc, their Ashrams are still running with the help of their close associates and the authorities are not verifying the facilities available over there," the plea alleged.

The petitioner was also aggrieved with rape accused Dixit, whose 'Adhyatmika Vishwa Vidhyalaya' at Rohini in Delhi - where his daughter stayed for the past five years - was raided by the court-appointed panel following complaints by several girls.