Nithyananda charged of rape, absconded from country

Nithyananda, who was accused of raping one of his disciples in his ashram in Bidadi, Karnataka in 2010, has been missing for over a month. Reports suggest that he has fled the country and sought political asylum in the Cayman Islands.

His disciples revealed that he had told some of his close aides that he would be touring pilgrims around North India. Although it is believed that he may have fled India to avoid the repercussions of the charges filed against him, similar to what Indian businessman Vijay Mallya did.

In 2010, Nithyananda was accused of raping a disciple over nearly a five-year period during her stay in his ashram. He faces trial under Sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 420 (cheating), 114 (criminal abetment), 201 (disappearance of evidence, giving false information), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and other charges under the Indian Penal Code.

However, the police highly doubt that he has fled the country, stating that the renewal application of his passport was declined. They suspect that he is somewhere around the North, and an investigation on the same is in progress.

Nithyananda has been the subject of ridicule for the last few months after a few of his absurd “preachy” videos, including his take on science and Einstein’s special theory of relativity went viral on social media.