A new controversy has erupted around St. Brenand’s prominent Meshaj after a video of the last viral sermon, which led to sharp criticism on social media and civil society circles. In the clip, Mehraj made comprehensive comments about young people and women, indicating that their previous relationships make them unique to marriage. (News18 Indian)

In reference to the “character” of today’s youth, Mehraj said that the boy who was with four girls will never be satisfied with his wife, because he became accustomed to adultery. He added that the girl, who was with four men, does not leave courage to accept a husband. “Of the 100, two girls or four girls are barely, who live religious lives and devote to one man,” he said. (News18 Indian)

The notes attracted an immediate reaction, as critics described them as “retreat”, “sexual bias”, and “deeply harmful to women.” Many of them compared them to a similar controversy that included the narrator of the Airodacharia stories, who earlier this year made insulting statements about women who also made the protests. (News18 Indian)

Social media platforms lit up with divided reactions. While some conservative voices defended the comments as “a reminder to support Indian culture”, the majority described it as “a dangerous moral exercise” in religious authority. (News18 Indian)

Women’s rights groups have not retreated either. Mathur, a female collective president, said that such a mentality governs women by their past, while society must recognize it through their present and humanity. Other activists have warned that such statements could enhance parental accounts and justify discrimination under the guise of preserving traditions. (News18 Indian)

As it builds anger, Premanand Maharaj has not made any clarification. But with pressure on both civil society and within the spiritual circles, his silence may not last for a long time. (News18 Indian)