The Uttarakhand High Court has transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the probe into the mysterious disappearance of Mahant Mohandas, a Haridwar-based priest and national spokesperson of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, who went missing eight years ago.
Justice Pankaj Purohit, while passing the order on Wednesday, expressed deep anguish over the inability of state investigative agencies to trace the missing Mahant despite multiple inquiries and repeated judicial directions. The court described the prolonged inaction as a serious lapse warranting central intervention.
According to the case record, Mahant Mohandas—also the head of Shri Panchayati Akhara Bada Udasin, Kankhal—had boarded an express train from Haridwar to Mumbai on September 16, 2017. When the train reached Bhopal, one of his disciples arrived with food, only to find Mohandas missing.
Since that day, there has been no trace of him. His disappearance had drawn significant attention as he had reportedly compiled a list of “fake saints,” after which the Akhara Parishad claimed to have received threats.
The petitioner, Mahant Sukhdev Muni, approached the high court after several years of what he described as a “mockery of investigation.” Initially, the investigating officer at Kankhal Police Station filed a final report, which was rejected by the judicial magistrate, who ordered a reinvestigation.
Despite this, progress remained negligible. Although the matter went up to the fourth Additional Sessions Judge, who directed further investigation, police failed to act. The court noted that the case had been shuffled between several officers without any meaningful outcome.
Justice Purohit remarked that such repeated transfers and inaction reflected a “complete breakdown of investigative seriousness.”
Transferring the case to the CBI, the court observed that the failure of state agencies to trace the priest after eight years left it with no alternative. It ordered the Uttarakhand government to hand over all investigation files and materials to the central agency without delay.
“The state authorities have shown an utter lack of diligence in tracing the missing person. After eight years, not a single conclusive finding has been recorded. This court is deeply distressed by such indifference,” the order noted.
The disappearance of Mahant Mohandas had created ripples within the religious community, especially after his campaign against alleged imposters within monastic circles. The CBI’s entry into the case now raises hopes that new leads might finally surface in a mystery that has haunted Haridwar’s akharas for nearly a decade.
