A peer review system of seers will now separate the black sheep from the flock of babas and sadhvis grazing on the fertile grounds of religious reverence across the country.

Alarmed at a shoal of controversial gurus- such as Asaram Bapu and Baba Ram Rahim Singh - landing in the net of the law for heinous crimes, Hindu spiritual leaders and saffron groups have decided to put in place a mechanism of scrutiny and a degree of standardisation.

According to VHP international joint general secretary Surendra Jain, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) - the apex body of Hindu sages and sadhus -met a few days ago and decided to establish a system of "peer review", "examination" and "interview" to either lend veracity or weed out claims to sainthood and babadom.

"A lot of fake babas and saints have cropped up in Hinduism in India and they need to be exposed and weeded out. Not every Tom, Dick and Harry can be allowed to claim sainthood and fool the people by exploiting their trust in the hallowed and historical tradition of saints who have graced Hinduism," Jain told MAIL TODAY.

"Ram Rahim etc are a band of fraudsters and he is not the end of it. There are many more who are running their shops in the name of Hinduism and the tradition of saints and sadhus."

'WEEDING THE WHITE FROM THE BLACK'

Over the years, several spiritual leaders have been accused of sexually abusing followers, amassing untaxed money and finding favour with politicians. Many of them enjoy immense influence for their ability to mobilise millions of supporters.

"The Akhara Parishad had met nearly four days ago and decided therein that a system of review should be in place to weed out the white from the black and the grey shade of babas," Jain said.

"Therefore, they have decided that the body will be interviewing the claimants in their claimed fields of religious and philosophical expertise and only then these babas and sadhvis will be recognised as parts of the Hindu faith."

Jain suggested that the cleansing process would start from the national Capital itself.

"We see that a number of fake babas are still in business and that too in Delhi. They appear on TV and in studios on religious issues and the drama that they stage is used to bump up their popularity. The process of naming and shaming will start from the Capital," he said.

LIST OF FAKE BABAS READY: SOURCES

Another VHP functionary, joint general secretary Swami Vigyananand who is the founder of World Hindu Foundation (WHF), was quoted in the recent edition of Sangh mouthpiece Organiser for being in favour of a peer review system which originally was part of the Hindu philosophical tradition.

He had cited the example of Shankaracharya who had to go through a series of disputations and discussions before his authority could be stamped. His fabled encounter with Mandana Mishra is an example.

Sources say the Akhara Parishad has already prepared a list of fake babas and gurus which would be made public in September when the ABAP meets in Allahabad.

They are expected to be boycotted by the comity of Hindu gurus and sacred "peeths" (shrines). The Centre as well as the state governments would be notified on the matter.

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