Madras High Court grants no relief to Nithyananda even as fugitive godman claims to be successor pontiff of Madurai Adheenam

The Madras High Court has dismissed a petition filed by self-styled godman Nithyananda Swami challenging an order of a local court that had added one Harihara Swamigal to a pending suit concerning the appointment of pontiffs to the Madurai Adheenam..In an order passed on June 26, Justice R Vijayakumar of the Madurai bench upheld an order of the Principal Subordinate Court, Madurai that allowed senior pontiff Harihara Swamigal to be added to the suit..The Adheenams are religious institutions dedicated to Tamil forms of worship. In April 2012, Nithyanandha was appointed as a junior pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam.However, later that year, he was removed from the post as part of disciplinary action following charges of rape and abduction against him..Subsequently, the senior pontiff or priest of such Adheenam, one Arunagirinatha Swamigal, had filed a suit seeking directions to Nithyananda and his associates not to interfere in the administration of the religious institution.Pending hearing of the suit, the senior pontiff died and his successor, Harihara Swamigal, filed an interim application asking that he be impleaded in place of his deceased predecessor, which the trial court allowed.Nithyananda then filed the present revision petition in the High Court challenging the trial court order. He argued that following the death of Arunagirinatha Swamigal, he should have been appointed his successor..Justice R Vijayakumar, however, dismissed the revision application, saying, "Pending suit, the 292nd pontiff had attained Mukthi on 13.08.2021 and thereafter, Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desiga Paramachariya Swamigal had been appointed as 293rd pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam. The said appointment had been recorded by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department also. Therefore, this Court is of the considered opinion that the application for amendment filed by Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desiga Paramachariya Swamigal for substituting himself in the place of 292nd pontiff does not call for any interference."The Court made it clear that the substitution of Harihara Swamigal would only be for the limited purpose of prosecuting the suit and the same would not confer any additional advantage on him in the suit proceedings..Senior Advocate Isaac Mohanlal appeared for Nithyanandha.Senior Advocate B Saravanan and Advocates Arun Swaminathan, Government Advocate C Satheesh and Special Government Pleader P Subbaraj appeared for the respondents, Harihara Swamigal and the HR&CE Department..[Read Order]