The Media is finally being held accountable: Court issues injunction against 9 media houses for knowingly airing false and derogatory information about His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda to increase their ratings at the cost of maligning His public image.
Some of the most hateful and deliberate fabricators of news are named: TV9, Survarna 24×7, Kasthuri, Udaya, Janashri, Public TV, E TV, Samaya 24×7, Deccan Chronicle.
On 2nd April 2012, a Bangalore City Civil Court passed an interim injunction order against 9 Bangalore Television news channels including TV9, Survarna 24×7, Kasthuri, Udaya, Janashri, Public TV, E TV, Samaya 24×7 and News 9, restraining them from exhibiting, broadcasting or telecasting of programmes, reports, clippings or visuals referring to Paramahamsa Nithyananda in a false or derogatory manner.
The multiple injunctions come in the wake of complaints registered by Paramahamsa Nithyananda against these channels for continuously and deliberately relaying programs defaming and ridiculing Him and His organization since March 2010.
On 29 March 2012, Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s counsel had filed a petition at the Court of the City Civil Judge, Bangalore, seeking permanent injunction relief against the said channels. On 2 Apr 2012, the Hon’ble judge allowed the petition and ordered interim injunction relief. The petition was filed following a fresh spate of false and defamatory programs on Paramahamsa Nithyananda aired by TV9 and News9 news channels from 26th March to 29th March 2012, citing the Karnataka CID as their sources and falsely reporting about the ongoing Paramahamsa Nithyananda case, which is a subjudice matter in the court of law. Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s counsel was left with no choice but to avail of this injunction order as the TV channels were persistently and grossly violating and misusing the freedom of press.
It might be recalled that earlier, when the news channels cited CID sources and aired defamatory programs, Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s counsel filed a petition in the Ramanagara Magistrate seeking a copy of the CID interrogation tapes of Nithyananda during the illegal custody to verify what the media had reported; to which the Karnataka CID categorically replied to the court that the interrogation tapes were stolen by one of their hired technicians and that they had not spoken anything to the media regarding Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s case investigation.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Paid Media “ok lets get you the latest twist on tainted god man Nithyananda facing charges”
* END OF TRANSCRIPT *
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
As said that Nithyananda can start preaching one,once again. Well for more on this, I am joined in by my colleague Nikhil.
Newscaster: Nikhil, can you tell us more about the situation? High court has granted Nithyananda a chance to preach once again but once in a month only.
Nikhil: There is, there is, there has been a certain ambiguity on that particular verdict given out by the court. In fact, the verdict states that Nithyananda can continue with his discourses but he needs to appear in the police station once in every month. This is again another consequence of his devotees taking it upon themselves to bring about a few, a little bit of relief to their Guru. A little earlier while he was in jail, we’ve seen n-number of petitions come by, n-number of pleas but forth by the devotees union of Nithyananda before the court, asking, asking the court to consider his bail plea. If we can remember, the bail was adjourned a couple of times and then on, his, good number of his supporters and followers had come up asking the court to consider the bail plea and grant bail to their Guruji. And then on, also sought for a similar, a similar relaxation on this particular condition of barring Nithyananda from conducting any kind of a discourse. 300 devotees of Nithyananda had signed a petition and had submitted itto the court and the court had to consider it,keeping the numbers in the mind and then on, the court has granted Nithyananda the permission to continue with his discourses and there is no confinement or guidelines that need to be followed. The discourses will go on as they did before and this is yet another effort from,from the devotee’s end,to make life look as normal as it was before and this is certainly a step back, towards normalcy for Nithyananda himself,Anthony.
Newscaster: Certainly a step for normalcy for Nithyananda, but it looks like now the devotees want to listen to Nithyananda as well,, Nikhil.
Nikhil: But certainly, I mean they believe that this was one experience which would have taught Nithyananda a few other aspects of life, which would have opened him up to a whole new dimension and the way things are supposed to be looked at. Therefore, keeping this particular episode in mind and the devotees also believe that this would be one of the ways Nithyananda could step out of that traumatic phase he went through the last few months. Therefore keeping all their own benefit, keeping the benefit of guruji in mind, and various other aspects, Nithyananda’s devotees has stepped up before and they’ve done it before as well and they’d do it again. High court, High court pays heed towards their demands and finally the High court grants permission for, to allow Nithyananda to carry on with his discourses and certainly, his devotees are all ears for, for his discourses, Anthony.
Newscaster: So Nikhil would it be right to say, even after the video that has been released it has not really affected his popularity in our city, in throughout his devotees, in all the people that were following him?
Nikhil: There are a few questions which continue to be unanswered, as far as that particular video is concerned, a lot needs to be studied. The other character involved in that particular video needs to be questioned. A few more, few more factors need to be realized before the video could be termed authentic. And unless and until one such authentication comes from the end of the court, or in fact comes from a few from the department itself, who are carrying out one such detailed study on the video footage,it would be wrong on one’s part to pass off a judgement. But that is what is holding Nithyananda back onto his grounds. If at all the verdict goes against him, probably he will no longer be considered a guru in the first place and then on there will be no question of discourses, but it is too early and premature to pass off a verdict that way.
But in time to come, we will know how original oe how authentic that particular video was, what was the motto behind bringing about that video in the first place, and how it would effect Nithyananda in the future. Therefore, all these things need to be answered and only then will there be a question, if the devotees are justified in calling, calling Nithyananda their Guruji and being part of his discourses.
Newscaster: Right Nikhil, thank you so much for joining us with all those details. Well, indeed good news for the devotees of Swami Nithyananda. In fact, the high court has said that Swami Nithyananda can start preaching,once again, While the High Court has said that Nithyananda can give discourses only once a month. Well, that is the big news that we are tracking.
* END OF TRANSCRIPT *