This Article is From Jun 26, 2012

Nithyananda's troubles now include wildlife: Top 10 facts

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Nithyananda, self-declared godman, has shifted base in recent weeks from his ashram near Bangalore, to Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Here are 10 big facts on why that hasn't checked the controversy for him.

Here are the top 10 facts on this story:

  1. The police raided the 1500 year old Saivite mutt Madurai Aadheenam for evidence that elephant tusks and tiger skins are used in a grand seat used for Nithyananda. However, the Madurai police have said they did not find any tiger skins or elephant tusks at the Madurau Aadheenam premises.

  2. A case has been filed against Nithyananda under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. 

  3. At Madurai, he has been appointed the junior pontiff of the  1500-year-old Saivaite Mutt

  4. But a section of devotees of this mutt is against his appointment and wants him sacked.

  5. Many believe the different police cases against him are provoked by that resentment.

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  7. In 2010, he was arrested on criminal charges including unlawful sex after a CD was aired on local channels that purported to show him with an actress.

  8. He disappeared; the police searched for him and located him in Himachal Pradesh. He was then arrested and later granted bail.

  9. Recently, a woman from the US went public with allegations that she had been sexually abused by Nithyananda at his Bangalore ashram for five years, a charge denied by him.

  10. After this incident surfaced, there were clashes between Kannada activists and Nithyananda followers in Karnataka.

  11. The Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sadananda Gowda, said the swami should be arrested.  He was granted bail after spending a day in prison.

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