Medical tests exonerate Nithyananda of rape charge?

Image
ANI Bangalore
Last Updated : Oct 15 2014 | 4:55 PM IST

Science in all likelihood appears to have to come to the assistance and rescue of self-styled god man Nithyananda, with medical tests carried out on him by a government-run hospital in southern India reportedly showing that he is incapable of committing rape.

Officials speaking on condition of anonymity have admitted that "the results have all but exonerated him of a four-year-old rape charge leveled by former disciple Arathi Rao.

Medical records of Arathi Rao that were released by a U.S. court a few years earlier showed her to be a carrier of the highly contagious STDs. This medical test found Nithyananda to be free of those incurable diseases, further bolstering his claim of innocence.

Nithyananda, a spiritual master whose organization spans 50 countries with 10 million followers worldwide, was hit hard in 2010 by a scandalous video that allegedly showed him in a compromising position with a popular actress.

Both he and the actress have insisted that the video was morphed, a claim that was later proven by a confession by the COO of the media house that had released the fake video on YouTube.

Subsequently, the god man has been at the receiving end of numerous charges, ranging from financial irregularities to the hoarding of sandalwood and tiger skins.

All of these cases except the current charge have since been dropped.

The much delayed trial, which is perhaps now more of a formality, will commence in Ramanagara Town near Bangalore this month.

Nithyananda has already filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court seeking Rs.10 crores as damages to his ashram property from the state government.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Oct 15 2014 | 4:39 PM IST

Next Story