SC to Nitya: Take potency test

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed self-styled godman Nityananda Swamy to undergo a potency test in connection with a 2010 rape case. The apex court rapped him as well as Karnataka police for “atrocious delay” in the case.
“The accused (Nityananda) must subject himself to medical examination,” a bench of Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and N V Ramana said, while dismissing his plea to avoid a test to determine his potency level.
The prosecution’s “lackadaisical approach” in dealing with the case came in for severe criticism; the bench expressed “extreme displeasure” that further investigation is still required as Nityananda and other accused “are obviously not cooperating with the investigating agency”.
The bench also dismissed the plea of Ranjitha Menon, Tamil actress and disciple of Nityananda, seeking impleadment in the matter to state that she was being wrongly projected as a victim.
The court said: “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 were filed in 2011/2012. We are in 2014… 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 sexual abuse complaint was registered against Nityananda in September 2012 when an NRI woman alleged that she had been repeatedly raped during her five-year stay at the godman’s ashram in Bidadi, 35km from Bangalore, and was threatened with dire consequences if she complained to anyone.
The Karnataka high court, while hearing the case had on August 20, 2014, questioned Nityananda for his reluctance to undergo a potency test. On August 1, the high court stayed the non-bailable arrest warrant issued by a Ramanagaram court against him and four of his followers.