CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by self-proclaimed godman Nithyananda seeking his appointment as head of three mutts in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts.
A division bench of Justices R Subramanian and C Kumarappan, while dismissing the petition, commented that Nithayananda was not even staying in the country to administer the mutts. He had filed the appeal praying for a direction to appoint him as the head of Sri Somanatha Swami Temple and Mutt at Thiruvarur, Sri Arunachala Gnanadesikar Swami Temple and Mutt at Vedaranyam and Sri Po Ka Sathukal mutt at Vedaranyam, both in Nagapattinam districts.
He challenged the order of the Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department to appoint executive officers to manage the properties of these mutts. Nithayananda said the commissioner passed orders to appoint executive officers based on certain complaints even when an interim injunction issued by the court was in force. Special government pleader NRR Natarajan appeared for the department.