Criminal case filed against Nithyananda in US

Bangalore, Mar 29: The cases filed against Swami Nithyananda in India by his driver Lenin Karuppan has received backing from a former American disciple, who has also filed a fresh complaint against the godman accusing him of indulging in cheating, rape, physical abuse and more.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, the American national, identified as Douglas McKellor, has filed criminal complaints in the US state of California.

With this new complaint, Nithyananda faces serious charges such as sex, fraud, financial irregularities and physical abuse of devotees in the US.

McKellor has claimed that at least on one occasion he "was placed as a guard in front of the door to make sure that no one, repeat no one, disturbed him and his lady guest", the report published on Sunday, Mar 28 said.

Even though McKellor was unable to furnish the exact date of the incident, in his complaint to the California attorney general he said that this took place during a two-day workshop in a Sanatan Dharma temple in Norwalk, California.

The American formerly known as Swami Nithya Praba alleged that Nithyananda 'abused' Hindu tenets, to issue 'fake enlightenment certificates', took away people's life savings, including 400,000 dollars of his bank deposit and physically abused ashramites, DHNS reports.

"While living in the Los Angeles ashram in June 2007, I was one in the first batch of Nithyananda's instant enlightenment. During the week-long program, I felt unnaturally dizzy and light. It was as if some strange drug was causing me to lose my senses," McKellor is quoted as saying by the newspaper, which claims to have the copies of the complaints.

Speaking on fire rituals performed by Nithyananda, McKellor said, "Nithyananda also added something that looked like marijuana seeds into the fire."

The American has started off a blog to expose Nithyananda's organised crime.

The sex scandal of the spiritual leader came to light on Mar 2 when a sex tape showing Swami Nithyananda in compromising position with a Tamil actress Ranjitha emerged.

The Swamiji's alleged crimes were exposed by Lenin Karuppan, who has accused Nithyananda of having sex, sometimes forcefully, with women at his Bidadi ashram.

OneIndia News