The disturbing charges against Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati: Secret cameras inside girls’ hostel, lewd texts

The First Information Report (FIR) filed against Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, aka  Swami Parthasarathy, has accused him of sending lewd texts and setting up secret cameras inside the girls’ hostel under the guise of providing security.

According to the FIR, he would also force female students to visit his room late at night and invite them to accompany him on trips abroad.

Swami Parthasarathy was the director of Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management in  Vasant Kunj, an institute run by Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, in Karnataka's Sringeri. The Peetham has since snapped all ties with the accused, who is on the run.

Over 17 students who filed a complaint against Swami Parthasarathy said they were threatened with suspension or expulsion when they raised objections about the lewd messages. They were told that their degrees and important academic documents would be withheld. If they complied with his demands, the students were promised opportunities to pursue careers abroad and travel. The accused wielded such influence within the institute that the female students were afraid to openly protest.  

The FIR further said that the footage from the secret cameras has since been deliberately deleted. The police are yet to find the DVR of the institute's CCTV.  It also accuses Associate Dean Shwetha of aiding his misconduct by forcing the female students to accept Swami's sexual advances. She, along with other staffers, allegedly kept an eye on the girl students and used to check their phones for text messages from Swami Parthasarathy, so as to ensure they did not take screenshots of these. When they complained, some teachers also advised the girls to remain silent.

The police have examined the phones of approximately 50 students and sent the deleted material to the Technical Investigation Agency (IFSO).