The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has informed a special court that Virender Deo Dixit, a self-styled preacher wanted in connection with alleged rape and mistreatment cases, died in 2023. The agency plans to seek the abatement of the trial following this development. Dixit, against whom an Interpol Blue Notice was issued in 2018, was reportedly on the run after the CBI registered cases in 2017. These cases were initiated following a Delhi High Court order, prompted by allegations of illegal confinement of women at his Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya ashram in Rohini, New Delhi. The High Court’s directive cited reports of women being held in “animal-like” conditions within the ashram. The CBI had taken over three First Information Reports (FIRs) from Delhi Police, including two against Dixit for alleged rape and criminal intimidation, and one concerning obstruction of a high court-appointed committee.
Source: www.thehindu.com