Asaram Bapu: Asaram Bapu, the controversial spiritual leader was allegedly accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in Rajasthan. Earlier in 2008, two young boys went missing from his gurukul under mysterious circumstances. Their mutilated bodies were later found from the banks of Sabarmati River near the ashram. According to news reports, the 72-year-old swami and his son were also involved in a Rs 700 crore land grab case in Madhya Pradesh
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years jail for the rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples in 2017. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh announced the sentences. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the sect chief. The rape victims would get Rs 14 lakh each as compensation from this amount. However, he later challenged the conviction in courts in October 2017. The trial is yet to be heard
Sri Jayendra Saraswathi: The 69th Shankaracharya of Kancheepuram Mutt Sri Jayendra Saraswathi was accused of masterminding assault on former auditor Radhakrishnan, who threatened to expose the alleged murky dealings in the Mutt. Radhakrishnan, his wife Jayasree and assistant Krishnan were allegedly attacked at their Mandaveli residence on September 20, 2002. He was acquited in April 2016. Saraswathi was also involved in allegedly ordering the murder of Sankararaman, a temple manager
Shiv Murti Dwivedi: Shiv Murti Dwivedi alias Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale, a self-styled godman, was arrested by Delhi police in February 2010 for allegedly operating a high-profile sex racket in the national capital, which involved former air-hostesses and students. He claimed to be a disciple of Sai Baba. Dwivedi was apparently running his sex racket from two government flats allotted to senior government officials in R.K. Puram area. A diary recovered from the swami shows he owned assets worth nearly Rs 2,500 crores. The diary lists names of nearly 600 call girls
Swami Nithyananda: Swami Nithyananda, a seer with a big following in several states and abroad, landed in a controversy after TV channels aired video footage allegedly showing him in an objectionable position with a South Indian actress in March 2010. After remaining elusive, he was later arrested from Himachal Pradesh. Today, the controversial godman, continues to go about his daily life talking to his disciples and organising various programmes at his ashram. In 2018, he made headlines for saying that he can make cows and bulls talk in Sanskrit and Tamil
Rampal: Self-styled Godman, Rampal had a number of cases against him ranging from sedition, murder, attempt to murder, waging war against the state government, rioting, illegal detention and others. The godman kept dodging arrest and his followers opened fire at security forces in a village in Rohtak. The revolt was so horrendous that a number of people perished including a baby. Rampal was arrested on November 19, 2014. According to the data presented by the states, Haryana alone spent at least Rs 15.43 crore on locating and arresting Sant Rampal, Punjab spent Rs 4.34 crore, Chandigarh Administration spent around Rs 3.29 crore and Union of India incurred at least Rs 3.55 crore, totalling Rs 26.61 crore
Rampal: Self-styled Godman, Rampal had a number of cases against him ranging from sedition, murder, attempt to murder, waging war against the state government, rioting, illegal detention and others. The godman kept dodging arrest and his followers opened fire at security forces in a village in Rohtak. The revolt was so horrendous that a number of people perished including a baby. Rampal was arrested on November 19, 2014. According to the data presented by the states, Haryana alone spent at least Rs 15.43 crore on locating and arresting Sant Rampal, Punjab spent Rs 4.34 crore, Chandigarh Administration spent around Rs 3.29 crore and Union of India incurred at least Rs 3.55 crore, totalling Rs 26.61 crore
Osho: Osho, also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, was an Indian mystic, guru and spiritual teacher who has an international following. In 1981, Rajneesh relocated to the Oregon, USA where his commune became embroiled in conflicts with locals primarily over land use. A large number of Rolls-Royce cars purchased for Rajneesh's use also attracted criticism. According to news reports, the commune collapsed in 1985 when Rajneesh revealed that the commune leadership had allegedly committed a number of serious crimes, including a bio-terror attack on the citizens of The Dalles
Chandraswami: Chandraswami, alias Nemi Chand Jain claimed to be an astrologer and a faith healer, had been repeatedly accused of financial irregularities. The Supreme Court had asked him to pay around Rs 9 crore as a penalty imposed by the Enforcement Directorate in the several FERA violation cases against him. The CBI had lodged a case for his involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1996. Chandraswami died in near anonymity in May 2017 of multiple organ failure at a Delhi hospital. He was 66 and had suffered a stroke
Baba Ramdev: Baba Ramdev spiritual leader known for his contributions in yoga, ayurveda and politics, but he has also faced controversies relating to issues ranging from tax evasion, publicising his views on homosexuality and his claims of curing cancer
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