HC dismisses plea seeking FIR against spiritual leader

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a writ petition seeking the registration of an FIR against spiritual leader Rambhadracharya over his alleged objectionable remarks about the Upadhyay community and revered religious personalities, including the Shankaracharyas.

A two-judge bench comprising Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Tarun Saxena observed that a person aggrieved by the non-registration of an FIR must ordinarily first exhaust the statutory remedies available under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) prior to invoking the high court’s extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226. In its order dated September 1, the court dismissed the writ petition filed by Ramesh Upadhyay of Varanasi. However, he was granted liberty to avail an appropriate remedy under law.

According to the petitioner, certain statements made by Rambhadracharya, the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, caused “grave mental agony, humiliation and insult” to him and other members of the Upadhyay community.

The petitioner alleged that Rambhadracharya also made objectionable statements against the four Shankaracharyas, hurting the religious sentiments of several followers. Videos of his statements were circulated on social media platforms, including YouTube, he claimed.

The petitioner apprised the court that he had submitted a complaint to the Commissioner of Police, Varanasi, on October 8, 2025, seeking the registration of an FIR against the spiritual leader under appropriate penal provisions. However, no FIR had been registered till date. The State opposed the petition contending that the petitioner had not approached the concerned police station and had directly approached the HC without first availing the remedy under Section 175(3) BNSS before the magistrate.