Swami Nithyananda back in action, can preach again
Bangalore, Jul 10: Nodding to the argument that not letting Swami Nithyananda preach was in violation of freedom of speech, Karnataka High Court on Friday, Jul 9 waved a green flag for him to resume preaching again while relaxing his bail conditions.
The court has also permitted the sex scandal-tainted godman to report at the jurisdictional police station monthly once.
He can also apply for permission at the lower courts if he wished to leave the jurisdictional limits, said Justice Subhash B Adi after hearing the petitioner's plea.
Nithyananda, who has been slapped with several criminal charges including rape and unnatural sex, was given conditional bail on Jun 11. The court had asked him not to preach and to appear before the jurisdictional police once in 15 days. He, however, was allowed to conduct yoga and meditation sessions.
On Jun 25, the Swamiji filed a bail relaxation plea, in which he sought permission to preach. He also wanted the police to come to his ashram once in 15 days for verification, instead of him going to the station.
In another application filed on Thursday, Jul 8, Nithyananda has sought return of his belongings such as his laptop and mobile phone seized by the police. The plea is scheduled for hearing on Jul 16.
The sexcapades of the religious guru came to light in Mar 2010 when a sex tape showing him in compromising positions with a woman, reportedly Tamil actress Ranjitha, leaked to the media.
This sparked off public outrage and the police, which initiated a case against him for hurting religious sentiments found plenty of skeletons in his closet amounting to a pile up of a bundle of charges.
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