The Supreme Court today stayed for the time being the Karnataka High Court order directing that self-styled godman Nithyananda, an accused in a rape case, be subjected to a medical test to determine his potency level.
The apex court, however, expressed its anguish over the case lingering on for the past four years when the matter was mentioned before it and warned that it cannot allow this to continue and that the investigation has to be completed.
"For the time being the medical test is postponed," a bench comprising justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and N V Ramana said while refusing to interfere with the August 1 order of the high court directing Nithyananda and four of his followers to appear before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Ramanagaram, on August 18 in connection with an alleged rape case.
It posted the matter after a week and asked the Karnataka government and the victim to file response on the appeal filed by Nithyananda Swami of Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam against the high court order.
The bench expressed its displeasure, saying that the acts of accused have come in the way of progress in the case.
"We want to make it clear our anxiety is whosoever is the person who is accused we don't go by names. Investigation has to proceed. There should be no effort to stall investigation.
"The case is of 2010 and we are in 2014 and the case is not proceeding. The law permits one type of proceedings. We make it clear it will not go like this. We want to decide," it observed while making clear to Nithyananda and his alleged accomplices to cooperate with the probe into the case.
The court said, "We have to go into the crux of the matter. We have to see that the matter progresses" while questioning him for opposing medical tests ordered by the nigh court.
