The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by self-proclaimed godman Nithyananda seeking directions to recognise him as the head of four mutts in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts in Tamil Nadu..A Bench of Justices R Subramanian and C Kumarappan said the Court cannot interfere with the appointments made by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.The High Court further said that it did not see any reason to interfere with a single-judge’s order passed in September last year, which Nithyananda had challenged before the present bench..On September 9, 2024, single judge Justice M Dhandapani had refused to interfere with the HR&CE department’s decision to appoint another person as the head of the mutts to replace Nithyananda following a rape case and other allegations against him. At the time, Justice Dhandapani had also questioned Nithyananda staking a claim to the position through a “representative” and had asked how could the Court beleive such representation was valid, given that Nithyananda’s current “whereabouts” were unknown.However, Nithyananda moved the High Court earlier this month challenging the single-judge’s order..In his petition filed through advocate Godson Swaminathan, Nithyananda told the Division Bench that the single-judge had erred in denying him relief.Nithyananda claimed in his appeal that it was “common knowledge” that he resided at Kailasa, "a nation recognised by the United Nations which maintains diplomatic relations with over 50 countries across the world.".Nithyananda also sought an interim stay on the single judge’s order.However, the High Court said it did not find any merit in his arguments and dismissed the petition..Nevertheless, the Court added that the trial court hearing the several cases against Nithyananda must not be influenced by the observations made either by the single-judge or the Division Bench of the High Court..[Read single-judge order]
The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by self-proclaimed godman Nithyananda seeking directions to recognise him as the head of four mutts in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts in Tamil Nadu..A Bench of Justices R Subramanian and C Kumarappan said the Court cannot interfere with the appointments made by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.The High Court further said that it did not see any reason to interfere with a single-judge’s order passed in September last year, which Nithyananda had challenged before the present bench..On September 9, 2024, single judge Justice M Dhandapani had refused to interfere with the HR&CE department’s decision to appoint another person as the head of the mutts to replace Nithyananda following a rape case and other allegations against him. At the time, Justice Dhandapani had also questioned Nithyananda staking a claim to the position through a “representative” and had asked how could the Court beleive such representation was valid, given that Nithyananda’s current “whereabouts” were unknown.However, Nithyananda moved the High Court earlier this month challenging the single-judge’s order..In his petition filed through advocate Godson Swaminathan, Nithyananda told the Division Bench that the single-judge had erred in denying him relief.Nithyananda claimed in his appeal that it was “common knowledge” that he resided at Kailasa, "a nation recognised by the United Nations which maintains diplomatic relations with over 50 countries across the world.".Nithyananda also sought an interim stay on the single judge’s order.However, the High Court said it did not find any merit in his arguments and dismissed the petition..Nevertheless, the Court added that the trial court hearing the several cases against Nithyananda must not be influenced by the observations made either by the single-judge or the Division Bench of the High Court..[Read single-judge order]
