Court denies bail to Nithyananda

The Ramanagara sessions court has denied bail to self-styled godman Paramahamsa Nithyananda, who has been remanded in judicial custody till April 30.

Opposing the bail plea of the tainted former head of Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam and Life Bliss Foundation, public prosecutor Srirama Reddy argued that the swami’s victims were scared of deposing before the investigating agency. He said that several of the godman’s affluent disciples were restraining the victims from coming forward.

Reddy further submitted before the court that Nithyananda was likely to tamper with evidence, if he were to be let out on bail. The swami, now lodged in the Ramanagara sub-jail, was slapped with several criminal cases, including sexual abuse.

The court also heard that the godman had already filed a petition before the high court of Karnataka, requesting it to quash the first information report filed against him by the Ramanagara police.

The case was later transferred to the criminal investigation department (CID), who arrested the godman from Solan in Himachal Pradesh on April 21. Nithyananda had gone into hiding after TV channels aired a clipping, purportedly featuring the swami in a compromising position with an actress.

Meanwhile, the Puducherry police, who reached Ramanagara to take custody of Nithyananda in connection with a cheating case, returned empty handed.

Judge CG Hungund of the Ramanagara sessions court turned down the Puducherry police’s plea on the ground that day-to-day hearing of the criminal cases, being investigated by the Karnataka CID, was currently in progress.

The Orleanpet police in Puducherry had, on March 5, registered a case against Nithyananda for cheating and wounding religious sentiments of people there, on a complaint by a group of advocates.