Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has sought instructions (report) from state govt on a writ petition filed by a Shahjahanpur resident in which he alleged that Ashutosh Maharaj pressured him to file a fake case against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and threatened him when he refused.Earlier, acting on Ashutosh Maharaj’s application, a special Pocso court in Prayagraj had directed police to register a case under the Pocso Act against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, 56, and his disciple.Ashutosh Maharaj is also one of the plaintiffs in the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute pending before the Allahabad High Court.The petitioner – Ramashankar Dixit — has sought police protection, claiming that his life and the lives of his family members are under constant threat.A division bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Indrajeet Shukla, in its order dated July 9, also directed to implead Ashutosh Maharaj as party respondent in the writ petition.The court also directed the registrar (compliance) to communicate this order to the inspector general of police, Bareilly zone, Uttar Pradesh, the superintendent of police, Shahjahanpur and the station house officer, police station – Sadar bazaar, Shahjahanpur through chief judicial magistrate of Bareilly and Shahjahanpur.The matter has now been listed on July 16.In his petition, Dixit alleged that on Feb 18, 2026, three unidentified persons offered him money and asked him to help implicate Swami Avimukteshwaranand in a fabricated case. He claimed that when he refused, they threatened to eliminate him.The petitioner further alleged that unknown persons have since been keeping watch on his house. According to him, police personnel were deployed at his residence for security after he approached the authorities, but some of them allegedly tried to influence him to change his statement.Dixit said he submitted further complaints to senior police officials, but no effective action was taken, compelling him to approach the high court.
