MADURAI: The Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) and the Saivite Disciples Committee have petitioned the Joint Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Administration Department (HR&CE) in Madurai against the appointment of Nithyananda as the 293rd pontiff of the Madurai Aadheenam. A delegation headed by K A Muruganji, president of the Bharatiya Forward Bloc, M Solaikannan of HMK and T Gurusamy Desigar of the Saivite Disciples Organisation, met HR&CE Joint Director B Baskaran on Monday and submitted petitions to this effect.
In his petition, Solaikannan said: “We are pained at the appointment of Nithyananda as 293rd pontiff as cases are pending against him. When we tried to meet the 292nd pontiff to discuss about the issue, we were stopped by Nithyananda’s aides.”
Apprehending loss of sanctity and the properties of the Aadheenam, the HMK approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC, praying for the takeover of the mutt by a team headed by a retired HC judge. When the case came up for hearing, the government counsel said that the HR and CE department would conduct an inquiry when it received a complaint.
Gurusamy Desigar too filed a habeas corpus petition in the HC bench over the issue. Following these, the HMK and other groups made representations with the HR and CE department, the petitioner said. In his petition, Gurusamy Desigar alleged the 292nd pontiff, Arunagirinatha Desigar was not engaged in any educational activity or in publishing Saivite literature.
The Joint Commissioner said he would forward their complaints to the HR&CE Commissioner and added that he had initiated steps to audit the mutt accounts.