Nityananda files plea against impounding of passport

Self-styled godman Nityananda Swami, arrested on criminal charges including rape, filed an appeal on Monday with the Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs against impounding his passport by the passport officer in Bangalore.

Self-styled godman Nityananda Swami, arrested on criminal charges including rape, filed an appeal on Monday with the Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs against impounding his passport by the passport officer in Bangalore.

HT Image

Counsel for Nityananda, Vivekananda Gupta, stated that there were only two First Information Reports (FIR) lodged at the Bidadi police station and impounding of passport on the basis of these FIRs was "atrocious action by the passport officer."

"If a passport is impounded on the basis of an FIR, then 90 per cent of politicians, distinguished personalities including industrialists and some cine actors will be subjected to this atrocious action," counsel said.

Counsel alleged that the passport had been impounded "without any application of mind" and the passport officer had also failed to give a personal hearing to Nityananda.

Nityananda landed in a controversy in March after local TV channels aired purported video footage showed him in a compromising position with a Tamil actress. He was arrested from Solan in Himachal Pradesh on April 21.