A massive crowd of devotees assembled at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi to observe Rangbhari Ekadashi in the run-up to the Holi festival. The Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, Vishwa Bhushan Mishra, emphasized the deep-rooted historical importance of the festival, stating that the city continues to preserve its age-old traditions.

Mishra said that the tradition of Rangbhari Ekadashi is centuries old in Kashi and is observed with devotion at Kashi Vishwanath Dham, along with various cultural programmes organized during the celebrations. Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand marked the occasion by celebrating Holi with flowers at Jyotish Vidyapeeth and extended his festive greetings, a day after the Allahabad High Court stayed his arrest.

Young disciples, known as Batuks, sought his blessings while chanting slogans praising the Shankaracharya and expressing reverence for the cow. A disciple welcomed the High Court’s decision, describing it as a triumph of justice and righteousness, and affirmed their full cooperation with the legal process. He maintained that the students mentioned in the case had never studied at the institution nor had any connection with the Shankaracharya, and said the court acknowledged this argument while granting relief.

The Shankaracharya also expressed satisfaction over the High Court’s interim protection in connection with the POCSO case, stating that the court had accepted their plea. While granting a stay on the arrest of the Shankaracharya and his disciple Pratyakchaitanya Mukundanand Giri, the High Court reserved its order on their anticipatory bail application.