NEW DELHI/BANGALORE: Controversial godman Nityananda Swamy was on Wednesday directed to take potency test in a 2010 rape case by the Supreme Court, which also criticized the Karnataka police for the “lackadaisical approach of prosecution” in the case.
The sexual abuse complaint was registered against Nityananda in September 2012 when an NRI woman alleged she was repeatedly raped during her five—year stay at his ashram in Bidadi, 35km from Bangalore, and threatened with dire consequences if she complained to anyone.
“The accused (Nityananda) must subject himself to medical examination,” a bench comprising justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and N V Ramana said while rejecting his plea to avoid the test. It also expressed “extreme displeasure” that Nityananda and other accused for “not cooperating with the investigating agency”.
The bench also dismissed the plea of Ranjitha Menon, Tamil actress and disciple of Nityananda, seeking to implead herself to state that she was being wrongly projected as a victim.
“What is staring at us is the atrocious delay in disposal of the criminal petitions. The complaint is dated March 4, 2010. Cognizance of the offences has been taken in December, 2010. Petitions came to be filed by the petitioners in 2011/2012. We are in 2014,” said the bench in its 20—page judgment.
“It is distressing to note that the petitions were kept pending at admission stage for almost over three years and could be disposed of only on July 16 this year,” the bench said while asking the prosecution to “gear up its efforts so that trial begins”.
The Karnataka high court, too, while hearing the case, had on August 20, 2014, questioned Nityananda for his reluctance to undergo a potency test. On August 1, the HC stayed the NBW issued by a Ramanagaram court against Nityananda and four of his followers in connection with the case.
While rejecting Ranjitha’s application, the bench said, “We are not inclined to expand the scope of these petitions. We, therefore, reject the applications. On her grievance, we are not expressing any opinion. If law permits, she may take such steps as she is advised, in the trial court.”
TOI| Sep 4, 2014
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