Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 17 female students, was arrested in Agra after evading authorities, including a stint in London, following complaints filed in August 2025.
The former chairman of Shri Sharda Institute in Delhi allegedly targeted vulnerable students with obscene messages and physical advances, using Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati threats to enforce compliance.
Alongside molestation charges, Saraswati faces accusations of siphoning ₹122 crore through a fraudulent trust, with police seizing assets and probing fake identities.
Delhi Police have arrested self-styled spiritual leader Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, following allegations of sexually harassing 17 female students at a management institute he once directed. The 62-year-old, also known as Parth Sarthy, was apprehended late Saturday night from a hotel in Agra and is being transported back to the capital for further questioning.
The arrest comes after weeks of evasion, with Saraswati reportedly fleeing to London shortly after the complaints surfaced in early August. Police traced him to Agra based on a tip-off and are expected to produce him before a Delhi court on Sunday, seeking custodial remand to unravel the full extent of the alleged crimes.
Saraswati, born Parthasarathy in Odisha, served as the former chairman of the Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management Research in Vasant Kunj, southwest Delhi. The institute, affiliated with a Sringeri-based religious body, primarily caters to students from economically weaker sections (EWS) under scholarship programs. According to the FIR filed at Defence Colony Police Station, Saraswati and three female wardens allegedly targeted underprivilaged female students pursuing management diplomas, using coercive tactics to silence them.
The victims, mostly from underprivileged backgrounds, accused Saraswati of sending obscene WhatsApp messages, making unwanted physical advances, and summoning them to his quarters at odd hours. One complainant detailed how the harassment began shortly after her admission in October 2024: after a minor fall, Saraswati demanded X-ray reports, followed by messages like "Baby, I love you." Threats of poor grades and withholding educational certificates further trapped the students, as their families' financial constraints left them with few options.
During Holi celebrations, students were allegedly forced to line up and apply color to Saraswati first, setting a pattern of enforced subservience. A trip to Rishikesh in June 2025 reportedly escalated the abuse, with several women claiming molestation at night. Police recorded statements from 32 women, confirming a "torture chamber"-like environment at the institute.
