Relief for Nityananda: HC dismisses petitions

May 10, 2012

nityananda


Madurai, May 10: Amid the controversy over appointment of self-styled godman Nityananda as head of the Madurai Adheenam, the Madras High Court today dismised a PIL seeking a direction to the government to take over the ancient Saivite Mutt.

The Madurai Bench of the Court also dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by a disciple of the Dharmapura Adheenam seeking to produce the pontiff of Madurai Adheenam, Arunagirinatha Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swami, in person.

Dismissing the pleas,the Bench comprising Justices M Sathya Narayanan and D Hariparanthanam said the petitioners should approach the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department under provisions of the HR and CE act and the High Court was not competent to handle the issue at this stage.

The Court said as the matter involved appointment of Nityananda as the successor, it was a matter to be decided by the HR and CE (Joint Commissioner) court or civil court.

Meanwhile, counsel for M Solaikannan, Hindu People's Party leader who filed the PIL, sought a special leave petition for appealing against the Court order to the Supreme Court. The counsel also said he would file a civil suit.

In his petition, Solaikannan alleged that the recent appointment of Nityananda, who is facing criminal charges, including rape, as the 293rd pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam (Mutt), was made without following rules and rituals established by tradition.

The appointment had not been ratified by other Saivite mutts. The present mutt head had been administered some drug and he had agreed to make Nityananda as the Mutt head only under the influence of drugs, the petitioner alleged.

The Habeas Corpus Petition filed by one T Gurusamy Desikar, sought a direction to police to produce the mutt head Arunagirinatha Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swami, in person and set him free from 'illegal custody' of Nityananda.

However, the Mutt head has said he was not under the control of any person, including Nityananda.

Nityananda's appointment as the head of the 1500 year-old Saivite Mutt here, has triggered a controversy. Many religious leaders and political outfits have protested the appointment.

The self-styled godman had landed in controversy after a video footage purportedly showing him in a compromising position with an actress was telecast by local TV channels in March 2010. He was arrested on April 21 from Solan in Himachal Pradesh and granted bail on June 11 the same year by the Karnataka High Court

Meanwhile, Arunagirinatha Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swami said there was no going back on his decision to have Nityananda as his successor.

"Once enthroned as junior pontiff, he cannot be dethroned", he told reporters here.

Nityananda was an erudite scholar with proficiency in English and Tamil and the Saiva Siddhantha,he said.

He claimed that he had sought the help of Dharumapura Adheenam and Kanchi Sankaracharya to appoint a successor,but both did not have time to find one.

Referring to the Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi's statement that Nityananda's appointment was in violation of spiritual and religious traditions, he said he could not blame the Sankaracharya as someone would have misled him.

Nityananda,who was also present at the press meet, said there were mutt heads who supported him.

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News Network
October 21,2024

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Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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News Network
October 22,2024

Several Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) schools across India were hit with hoax bomb threats on Tuesday, just days after an explosion occurred near a CRPF school in Delhi. The threats, sent via email late Monday night, targeted schools in Delhi and Hyderabad, according to sources.

Earlier this week, a bomb exploded outside a CRPF school in Delhi’s Rohini area, causing significant damage to nearby vehicles and property. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.

In response to the blast, Delhi Police confiscated CCTV footage from nearby markets as part of their investigation. Sources indicate that surveillance footage captured a suspect at the scene, wearing a white T-shirt, displaying suspicious behavior the night before the explosion.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the explosive device had been hidden in a polythene bag, buried in a shallow pit, and covered with garbage. The blast caused a hole in the school's boundary wall and shattered the window panes and signboards of nearby shops.

Following the incident, the Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Section 3 of the Indian Explosives Act, and other relevant sections.

The FIR states, "A case of an explosion caused by an unknown explosive substance has been registered, and the investigation continues." It also details the damage, noting that the blast left a hole in the boundary wall and affected nearby structures.

The targeted schools serve children from CRPF and other paramilitary families, and the recent threats have heightened concerns. In response, Delhi authorities have placed the city on high alert, ramping up security measures, especially in markets, ahead of the Diwali festival. 

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