HC directs Punjab govt to conduct last rites of godman

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Punjab government to conduct the last rites of self-styled godman Ashutosh Maharaj within 15 days.
Judge M M S Bedi also ordered the formation of a committee comprising senior officers to overlook law and order during the process.
Ashutosh Maharaj, sect leader of 'Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan' at Nurmahal in Jalandhar, was declared clinically dead on January 29 this year after which his disciples placed his body in a deep freezer claiming he had gone into 'samadhi' or deep meditative state.
A petition was filed in April this year by one Dilip Kumar Jha, who claimed to be Ashutosh Majharaj's son, seeking the mortal remains for performing last rites.

Keeping in mind the sensitivity of the case, security had been beefed up at Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan, officials said.