September 25 2018

Title:

Paramahamsa Nithyananda hits Jackpot - High Court clears his path to be Head of Madurai Adheenam

Madurai 26 September 2018

Description:

The High Court of Madras, Madurai Bench today overturned the decision of the lower court and closed a case filed by 2 petitioners saying that Swami Nithyananda should not be the Junior Pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam. In a hard hitting judgement the Court observed that the Petitioner had not done even the basic due diligence in filing the case. Further the Court observed that even HRCE ACT and hence the HRCE board had no jurisdiction to question the appointment of Swami Nithyananda as the Junior Pontiff and the successor to the current pontiff, the 292nd Gurumaha Sannidhanam of the Madurai Adheenam.

Quoting various rulings of the Supreme Court where they held the appointment of the Junior to be a purely religious act protected by the constitution, the Court observed that "If the right of interference on the question of succession is recognised as a matter of routine, then no head of the Mutt can ever appoint a successor, which is an exclusive personal right of the head of Mutt."

Further passing its insight onto the matter of the Madurai Adheenam Trust which was created to fund the activities of the Madurai Adheenam Mutt, the Court observed that "no transactions had happened on the name of the Trust. Hence the allegations of misuse of the Trust seem more of apprehensions rather than actual misconduct.". Much of the litigation that happened in Madurai about the Madurai Adheenam in 2012 including the case by the Government, revolved around the misunderstandings about this Trust that was created jointly by Swami Nithyananda and the current pontiff.

The ruling today firmly cemented Swami Nithyananda's position as the Junior Pontiff and the successor to the Madurai Adheenam, the oldest monastery in the world, in no uncertain terms. The ruling is one of the series of victories for Swami Nithyananda in Madurai and is perhaps the last blow that will silence his detractors.

A few months back the High Court had affirmed that the the appointment of Swami Nithyananda as the successor and junior pontiff to the Madurai Aadheenam was "IRREVOCABLE". The Court in its detailed order ruled that no one else could be appointed subsequent to Paramahamsa Nithyananda as the Junior Pontiff as per law and the tradition of the Madurai Aadheenam as documented in its mother document. The Court further allowed him to be impleaded in the case filed by the the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments board against the Madurai Adheenam Mutt.