CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Friday clarified before the Punjab and Haryana high court that head of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS) Ashutosh Ji Maharaj had died a natural death.
The state government also told the HC that allegations levelled by the spiritual leader’s former driver Puran Singh that he died under mysterious circumstances were false and baseless.
The information was submitted before the HC by Punjab government in response to a petition filed by Puran Singh seeking CBI probe into the death of Ashutosh Maharaj.
The state has also requested the HC to dismiss Puran Singh’s petition. The court has now fixed the case for May 27 for further hearing.
The HC had asked the Punjab government on March 25 to clarify its stand on initiating inquest proceedings in the self-styled spiritual leader’s death. The matter reached the HC after a petition was filed by Puran Singh, who had claimed himself as former driver of Ashutosh. In his petition, Puran Singh has sought directives for a CBI probe into the death.
The HC on February 4 had asked Puran Singh to approach local police station under the provisions of Criminal Procedure Code if he felt that Ashutosh had died of an unnatural death. However, the authorities had not taken any action on Puran Singh’s application, following which he moved the HC.
Ashutosh was declared clinically dead by a team of doctors but the dera officials claimed that he was in “samadhi”.
Founded by Ashutosh in 1983, DJJS portrays itself as a spiritual sect and claims to have 15 lakh followers in the country and abroad. Its headquarters is at Nurmahal.