Spiritual leader Aniruddhacharya is now facing legal trouble after a video of him making offensive remarks about women went viral in October. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Mathura has accepted a complaint filed by Meera Rathore, Agra district president of the All India Hindu Mahasabha, and will record her statement on January 1.

The controversy stems from a clip in which Aniruddhacharya made derogatory comments on young women and marriage, suggesting that girls married at 25 had “already tried many things.” The remarks triggered widespread criticism online, with women’s groups and social media users accusing him of demeaning women and promoting stereotypes.

Rathore said the comments were unbecoming of a religious figure. “Such statements do not benefit our saints,” she said. She first approached the Vrindavan police station, but when no FIR was filed, she escalated the matter to the court. Rathore also shared a personal vow she took in protest: “Ever since I filed the petition, my hair has remained loose. I had decided that I would not tie my braid until a case was filed. Now that the court has accepted our petition, perhaps the time has come to tie it again.”

Her lawyer, Manish Gupta, called the court’s action “a major success” and an important step toward respecting women. With the court now involved, Aniruddhacharya will have to appear and answer the allegations. Earlier, a similar case had also been filed in Varanasi.

Responding to the backlash, Aniruddhacharya claimed his words were misunderstood and taken out of context. “A woman who has relationships with multiple men cannot be of good character, and a man who has relationships with multiple women is considered an adulterer,” he said. He insisted that the video circulating online misrepresented his intentions.

The case marks a shift from social media outrage to a legal battle, potentially intensifying the troubles of the Vrindavan preacher in the weeks to come.