Woman who accused Nithya of rape did stripteases in US bars, HC told

The  video that purportedly showed Nithyananda and an actress in a compromising position was morphed, the self-styled godman's lawyer argued before the high court on Wednesday.  

The Ramanagaram police had taken up the case on the basis of a complaint filed by a  former female disciple of Nithyananda's. The woman accused the 40-year-old godman of sexually assaulting her. That came shortly after Tamil news channels aired the video in 2010.  

Nithyananda's lawyer, senior counsel C V Nagesh, sought to discredit her, saying she often  carried condoms and liquor bottles in her vanity bag and was known to do stripteases at some bars in Los Angeles, US. People living in Nithyananda's Bidadi ashram were aware of her character. Her accusation that Nithyananda sexually assaulted her is false, the counsel submitted during the hearing on a criminal revision petition filed by the godman and his associates.  

The petition has challenged the rejection of the discharge petition by the trial court in the criminal case  under IPC sections 295 A (insulting religious belief), 420 (cheating), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy).

Justice R B Budihal adjourned the hearing until  Thursday.