advertisement
Self-styled Godman Nithyananda Paramashivam has found himself embroiled in controversy as he has been accused of committing “serious human atrocities in the name of Hinduism” by a former yogi at his ashram. In a petition on Change.org and on YouTube, the former yogi and now ‘whistleblower’ describes how Nithyananda would torture the ashram’s inmates, in particular children.
The petition, which has garnered over a thousand signatures already, talks about how the ashram would exploit children and loot its overseas clients.
Dhanya Rajendran, the Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute, a news website further received an apology email from one of the whistleblowers. The Nithyananda camp had allegedly started an online smear campaign against Rajendran which ran for years.
Rajendran had been following stories about rape allegations against the Godman for several years.
Here’s what the apology email said:
According to Nithyananda’s Facebook page, he is the “reviver of Kailaasa – the enlightened civilisation, the greatest and only Hindu nation”. He considers himself an Avatar of Paramashiva.
The 44-year-old has been accused of raping a disciple for five years of her stay in his ashram. In June 2018, a Karnataka trial court framed charges against Nithyananda. He faces trial under Sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 420 (cheating), 114 (criminal abetment), 201 (disappearance of evidence, giving false information), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to The News Minute, in 2014, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition by Nithyananda seeking to quash the chargesheet against him. But in 2017, in a relief for the survivor, the apex court asked Ramanagara sessions court in Karnataka to frame charges against him and conduct a speedy trial.
However, in March 2018, Nithyananda changed his stance on his impotence at the Karnataka High Court, claiming to have had “consensual sex” with the victim – a big U-turn from before.
Nithyananda made headlines once again when multiple regional channels broadcasted a clip of the Godman in a compromising position with an actor.
The Quint has reached out to Nithyananda and his office seeking a response to the fresh set of allegations against him, but hasn’t received a response as yet. We will update this story as and when we get a reply.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: undefined