The Madras High Court witnessed some poignant moments on Monday with an aged woman pleading with her dentist son to leave self-styled godman Nithyananda’s Ashram at Bidadi in Karnataka and return to normal life. Unmoved by her fervent plea, P. Muruganandam, now called Sri Nithya Pranananda, refused to part ways with the ashram.
After recording his submission, a Division Bench of Justices R. Subbiah and R. Pongiappan closed a habeas corpus petition filed by P. Angulakshmi, 60, of Kottai in Erode district. The petitioner had sought a direction to Erode police to save her 39-year-old son from the “illegal” custody of Nithyananda, produce him in court and let him go with her.
However, appearing before the court, along with an escort from the ashram, the petitioner’s son told the judges that he was residing in the ashram on his own accord and that he was not detained illegally by anyone. He also said that being a major, he was interested in continuing in the ashram and was not willing to return to his parental home. When the mother had a word with him outside the court hall, she asked him, “You are an educated boy, why are you doing this? Why don’t you come back home?” In reply, he asked her to stop acting at the instigation of others and to meet him at the ashram and discuss domestic issues. “I am not acting at the instigation of anyone. Why should I come to the ashram?” the mother pleaded.
