Nityananada finds new escape route - dhyana🔗

Bangalore: Police have not been able to get Nityananda to reveal much. Reason: the self-styled godman, who was arrested from Solan, Himachal Pradesh on April 22, slips into dhyana mode or feigns illness during interrogation.

In the last six days of his police custody, "nothing much could be brought out" from Nityananda, a CID official said. "Taking advantage of his spiritual standing, Nityananda goes into dhyana mode whenever the police prepares for questioning. After a long wait, Nityananda avoids questioning saying he is ill," the official added.

Nityananda was admitted to hospital on April 26 after he complained of "severe chest pain", but was discharged on Tuesday.

After landing himself in a controversy, Nityananda quit from the ashram head's position and said he would lead a life of "spiritual seclusion".

Nityananda has moved the Madras high court seeking anticipatory bail in three cheating cases registered against him in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

In his petition, Nityananda has said that one Aladi Mahendran and a few others, who said they were advocates practising in Puducherry, had submitted a false complaint at Orleanpet police station. They had alleged that the godman had cheated the public, amassed huge properties and insulted religious feelings.

Similar cases were registered by advocate Angayarkani with the Chennai police commissioner and freelance reporter TM Viswanathan with the Coimbatore commissioner, the petition said.

"The petitioner submits that without proper verification of facts the police had filed an FIR," it alleged. "The respondent had registered a case against the petitioner under 295(A) (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 420 (cheating) sections of IPC. The petitioner is innocent and has nothing to do with the allegations mentioned in the complaint," it added. -PTI

NO RESPITE FOR NITHYANANDA | P5