Madurai:
Controversial self-proclaimed godman Swami Nithyananda's troubles don't seem to end even with his appointment as Junior Pontiff of the 1500-year-old Saivaite Mutt, Madurai Adheenam. The Madurai city police have registered a case against him under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 for alleged possession of ten tiger skins and an equal number of elephant tusks in the Madurai mutt.
This came after a complaint by Solai Kannan, a member of the Hindu Makkal Katchi. The petitioner, police say, alleges seeing Nithyananda sitting on tiger skins spread over elephant tusks, at the Madurai mutt. Police have also booked former actress Ranjitha and a woman Public Relation Officer (PRO) who were reportedly present in the mutt at that time.
The petitioner has also alleged that he was served a drink that made him uncomfortable and was asked to dance to an English tune by Swami Nithyananda.
(Read: Nithyananda allegedly mixed 'holy' water with drugs) But police say at this time they have do not enough material to make out a case. Police say an investigation is on and that they would soon approach the court for orders to permit them to search the mutt for wild life trophies.
When NDTV tried to reach Nithyananda's secretaries, there was no response.
A section of devotees of the old Madurai Adheenam are also up in arms over the appointment of Nithyananda as the mutt's junior Pontiff.
However the self-proclaimed godman who's facing allegations of sexual abuse got a reprieve from a Karnataka court as it stayed a First Information Report (FIR) that was filed against him.