An Indian court on Wednesdayallowed disciples of a spiritual guru to preserve his body in a freezer, as they believe he is in a deep state of meditation and will return to life.

Ashutosh Maharaj, founder of the multi-million dollar sect, Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission), apparently died of a cardiac arrest in January 2014.

But his followers insist he is in a deep spiritual state called samadhi and have controversially kept his body in a commercial freezer at his heavily guarded 100 acre ashram in the northern state of Punjab.

On Wednesday,the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed a three year old petition by Dalip Kumar Jha, who claims to be his son, and who wanted his father's body to cremate him as per Hindu rituals.

Mr Jha's lawyer, S P Soi told AFP that it was unclear whether or not the court approved the sect's argument that Mr Maharaj was alive.

"But they dismissed our petition which is disappointing and we will challenge it in the Supreme Court," said Soi.

The court while rejecting their plea set aside a 2014 judgement that had ordered his cremation after doctors confirmed him clinically dead.

His disciples had challenged the court's cremation order saying he had simply drifted into a deeper form of meditation, something he did often in sub-zero Himalayan temperatures.

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Indian guru's body preserved in freezer, as followers believe he will come back to life - Telegraph.co.uk