India's Supreme Court on January 12, 2026, granted bail to Aadya Prasad Tiwari, one of the accused in the high-profile 2021 death case of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri. The top court's bench, comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, observed that the trial in the case is likely to take a considerable amount of time to conclude. The decision came as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which filed the chargesheet, has so far examined only three out of an estimated 150 witnesses. Mahant Narendra Giri was found dead by hanging at the Baghambari Mutt in Prayagraj on September 20, 2021. A suicide note recovered from the scene accused his estranged disciple Anand Giri, along with priest Aadya Prasad Tiwari and his son Sandeep Tiwari, of mental harassment. The CBI's chargesheet, filed in November 2021, stated that Mahant Giri was under "grave mental trauma" from the accused and ended his life to "avoid defamation and insult" in society. Aadya Prasad Tiwari has been in custody since September 22, 2021. The Supreme Court also noted that Tiwari does not appear to be the principal accused in the matter. This ruling by the Supreme Court effectively set aside an Allahabad High Court order from October 14, 2025, which had denied Tiwari's request for bail. The court stipulated that Tiwari must furnish bail bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court and adhere to imposed conditions, including diligent attendance at trial proceedings and refraining from influencing witnesses.