Nithyananda moves SC against his removal as pontiff of Madurai Adheenam Mutt

Self-styled godman Swamy Nithyananda has approached the Supreme Court, challenging a Madras High Court order that restrained him from acting as the pontiff of Madurai Adheenam Mutt and barred his entry into the oldest Saivite mutt, established about 2000 years ago, near Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai.

He challenged the interim order passed on October 11, last by the Madurai bench, contending that it has affected his fundamental right to worship and religion guaranteed under the Constitution.

Though he carried out as junior pontiff of the 'Adheenam', the High Court entertained a writ petition and passed interim orders, disregarding the fact that similar plea was rejected in 2012, his plea stated.

The special leave petition filed by advocate Sanjay M Nuli on behalf of Swamy is coming up for consideration before the top court on Monday.

40-year-old, Nithyananda, who established an ashram at Bengaluru, and various other places all over the world, including at Toronto and Los Angles, claimed he belonged to 'Thondaimandala Saiva Velalar community' which is one of the communities from which pontiffs were appointed to the Mutt.

On April 27, 2012, 'Sri-La-Sri Arunagirinatha Sri Gnansambanda Desika Parmacharya Swamigal', 292nd Madathipathi, has declared that the appointment of the petitioner as 293rd junior pontiff was permanent and irrevocable, he said.

"The HC ought to have appreciated that if a person is appointed as junior pontiff by performing ceremonies then he cannot be removed by any authority since the appointment/nomination is the prerogative of the head of the mutt and he can do so only to one person in his lifetime. Even the head of the mutt has no power or authority to remove the appointment," his petition stated.

Nithyananda further contended M Jagathalapradapan, who filed the writ petition against his nomination before the High Court, is one of those who were set up to tarnish his image.

"The HC ought to have appreciated that, after the morphed video was released, a series of cases were filed by a host of persons, who were neither devotees nor public interested people. They were instigated by vested interests, who wanted to extort money from him," he contended.