Nithyananda. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Madras High Court on Friday (January 31, 2025) dismissed a writ appeal filed by Nithyananda, of Bidadi in Karnataka, against Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department’s decision to appoint executive officers to administer the properties of four mutts here.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Subramanian and C. Kumarappan refused to entertain the appeal preferred against an order passed by Justice M. Dhandapani on September 4, 2024. The single judge had dismissed Nithayananda’s writ petition against the HR&CE department.
Special Government Pleader (HR&CE) N.R.R. Arun Natarajan told the bench that the appellant had filed the writ petition in 2017 claiming right over the properties of Sri Somanatha Swami Mutt in Tiruvarur and Sri Arunachala Gnanadesikar Swami Mutt and Sri Po.Ka. Sathukal Mutt in Vedaranyam.
In his affidavit, he claimed to have been given the right to administer those properties by Swami Athamananda in 2014. However, subsequently, disputes arose between them and Swami Athmanda ended up lodging multiple complaints against the appellant.
The issue was also taken to the civil court by way of suits. In the meantime, acting on the basis of representations made by the devotees of the mutts, the HR&CE Commissioner on June 22, 2017, passed orders for appointing executive officers to the three mutts.
Dismissing Nithyananda’s writ petition against the Commissioner’s orders, Justice Dhandapani doubted whether Nithyananda could claim any right to administer the properties of the three mutts on the basis of the reported nomination made by Swami Athmananda.
“Further, the whereabouts of the petitioner (Nithyananda) is now not known and therefore, the powers vested by him to his representative is doubtful,” the judge had said while refusing to interfere with the HR&CE Commissioner’s order.
Published – January 31, 2025 03:02 pm IST
