ALLAHABAD: Acharya Kushmuni Swaroop, named as one of the 14 fake saints by Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad ( ABAP ) during its special meeting on September 10, has served a legal notice to its president Narendra Giri asking him to remove his name from the list or face a defamation case in court. Kushmuni claims he has the support of over 500 Dandi seers from across the country. Akhil Bharatiya Dandi Sanyasi Prabandhan Samiti ( ABDSPS ), based in Varanasi, has condemned Akhara Parishad for becoming a `self-appointed regulatory body' of saints. It has accused Narendra Giri of starting `fatwa' tradition in Hindu religion Kushmuni said, "All the self-proclaimed saints na med by the parishad have either cases slapped against them or are in jail but I have no legal case against me. I have been termed as fake as because I am leading a married life but most of age-old seers whom we all follow used to lead a `grihastha' life so are all those saints fake?" He added, "Narendra Giri has said that I have not obtained `diksha' (ordained) but he is unaware of the fact that I am a dandi sanyasi and ordained from Swami Vimalashram of Akhil Bharatiya Dandi Prabandhan Samiti. I am also the spokesperson of the samiti."Narendra Giri said Kushmuni had been declared as fake saint as he is involved in money making businesses.Kushmuni is the manager of Siddheshwari Gupt Shaktipeeth located at Civil Lines in Allahabad.

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