The police on Monday told the high court of Karnataka that the Self-Styled Godman’ Nityananda was on a spiritual tour. This statement was in response to the regulation passed by the court on January 31 to serve notice on the so-called spiritual leader in a petition seeking cancellation of bail granted to Nityananda in a rape case back in 2010.
Self-Styled Godman’ on a spiritual tour
After a complaint was filed against Nityananda in a rape case in 2010, the Self-Styled Godman’ Nityananda has been held twice. His bail conditions were reduced in 2011 and he was handed over his passport to travel for meditation and yoga camps. Since then he is successfully delaying the start of the court’s trial.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Balraj B, told the court that the police had served notice to his aide Kumari Archananda, Live Law reported.
The DSP informed the court that they failed to serve notice as Nityananda was not present at his Bidadi ashram and was on a spiritual tour. Instead, the police served notice to his aide Kumari Archananda.
Kumari Archananda said in court that she was forced to accept the notice after she told the police that she cannot tell them as she is unaware of Swamiji’s whereabouts.
‘You Are Playing a Game’: Justice Cuna
Justice John Michael Cuna got very angry with the police proceedings. “Is this the first time you are serving the court summons? How dare you say this is effecting service and complying with directions of the court? It means that you have forced her to come to the court. You are playing games,” the judge remarked. The court also added that it would pass appropriate orders on the conduct of the DySP.
Meanwhile, the counsel for the state government submitted to the High Court that the prime accused Nithyananda’s attendance is not needed in court and that he has not disrupted any bail provisions.
Countering this submission by the government, the counsel for the petitioner Lenin Karuppan stated that Nithyananda is cheating the court and that failure to serve notice is not an obstruction to cancel Nithyananda’s bail.
Stat counsel argued that “No bail conditions are violated by the accused. If the complainant is aggrieved by the exemption order passed by the trial court, he should challenge the same and cannot seek cancelation of bail.”
It was then the court held its orders of the plea for cancelation of bail.
Nityananda hiding near South America
Nithyananda escaped India via Nepal a year ago and has not been detectable since. His passport has been revoked and his application for a fresh one has also been denied. The so-called spiritual seeker is now believed to be lurking in Belize in South America and seems to be running a bank account from the island nation and tax harbor Vanuatu.
Apart from this rape case, Nithyananda has been booked for child abuse and kidnapping by the Gujarat police after three minor children (a boy and two girls) were rescued from his ashram in the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
