Accused ‘monk’ held multiple identities for decades: Police

The contradictions also extended to his place of birth. An expired passport listed Darjeeling, West Bengal, while a newer document cited Thiruvelikani in TN

Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, the 62-year-old former chairman of a management institute in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj accused of molesting 17 students, lived under multiple identities for decades while working with prominent religious organisations, the investigation into the case has revealed.

Self-styled 'godman' Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati arrested in connection with an alleged sexual harassment case in New Delhi. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

Police said they have seized some documents and are trying to establish details of his name (at time of birth), father’s name and place of birth, even as his arrest on Sunday ended a two-month-long manhunt.

According to investigators familiar with the case, who asked not to be identified, Saraswati was born as Rudra Parthasarthy in Siliguri, West Bengal. Over the years, he dropped “Rudra” and began presenting himself as Dr Swami Parthasarthy before finally styling himself as Swami Chaintanyanada Saraswati.

Officials said they believe that these shifts were not merely cosmetic, but deliberate attempts to mislead organisations he worked with and to access new opportunities.

After leaving Siliguri, Saraswati lived in Kolkata and Odisha before moving to Delhi around 2000, according to a senior police officer familiar with the case. He initially associated himself with the Ramakrishna Math, working there for four to five years. Police said he served under a senior figure at the Ramakrishna Mission and was later sent to head an ashram in Ernakulam, Kerala.

His stint there, however, ended in controversy. “However, he was asked to leave the Ramakrishna Math in 2001-02 after the organisation found that he was allegedly manipulating accounts of the ashram in Kerala and was also forging emails,” the officer cited above said.

In subsequent years, Saraswati attached himself to different religious bodies and, by 2009-10, became associated with the Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamthanam Dakshinamnya Sri Sharada Peetham. It was through this association that he was appointed chairman of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research in Vasant Kunj, the probe has shown, according to the people cited above.

Then the Peetham itself later filed a case against him earlier this year, accusing him of fraud. In an FIR lodged on July 23, the organisation alleged that Saraswati possessed two passports, each with different details. One listed his father as Dayananda Saraswati and mother as Sharadha Ambal. A newspaper clipping about his name change, however, identified his father as Swami Gahananandji Puri. Other records, including a driving licence, also reflected the name Swami Dayananda Saraswathi, they said.

The contradictions also extended to his place of birth. An expired passport listed Darjeeling, West Bengal, while a newer document cited Thiruvelikani in Tamil Nadu. To complicate matters further, a journal published by a trust Saraswati allegedly set up described him as a citizen of the United States, reads the FIR lodged by Peetham.

Several students told HT that Saraswati frequently claimed to be both a US citizen and a United Nations member. “These conflicting records and claims show his intent to dupe institutions and individuals,” a police officer said.

The Peetham has also accused him of creating a ₹122 crore trust fund using diverted money and producing fake lease deeds, causing financial losses to the organisation. In August, it announced it had severed all ties with him over molestation and cheating allegations.

Saraswati’s arrest on Sunday in Agra came after months on the run. He has since been remanded in five-day police custody.

So far this year, he has been booked in at least three separate cases -- for allegedly molesting over 17 female students, cheating his employer, and forging car number plates with UN markings.

“The probe into his original identity, documents, and the extent of his financial dealings is still underway,” a senior officer said.