Bangalore, Jul 10: The self-styled godman Swami Nithyananda may again face arrest if he fails to response to a public notice which has been issued on his name.

Arunagirinatha Desigar, the 292rd Madurai Aadheenam, had appointed Nithyananda as the junior pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam. Citing several criminal charges and controversies against Nithyananda, Manivasagam and Sami Thiagarajan filed a petition against the duo and challenged Nithyananda’s appointment as the junior pontiff.

Earlier summons were issued to Desigar and Nithyananda. The court asked the duo to be present before the court on Monday, Jul 9. However, both of them failed to appear in the court and thus the First Additional District and Sessions Judge ordered court officials to issue a public notice to Desigar and Nithyananda.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court on the same day disposed his plea demanding Rs 10 crore. The controversial godman sought Rs 10 crore as damages to his ashram property from the state government during search and seizures carried out in his Bidadi ashram in Jun 2012.

However, the court claimed that the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetham Ashram in Bidadi had already been unsealed and returned to its owner. The court also stated, “the propriety of the seizure will be decided in appropriate proceedings later, if initiated.”

Lawyer of Nithyananda earlier had issued the notice to former Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, Ramnagar District Deputy Commisioner and a regional news channel demanding Rs 10 crore for damages in his ashram.

Nithyananda, who recently has shifted his base from Bangalore, Karnataka to Madurai, always remain surrounded by controversies.

He was arrested for the first time in 2010 over a video where he allegedly was seen in a compromising position with a popular South Indian actress. Later, he was released on bail. But the ‘godman’ again was sent to prison in 2012.

This time, he was accused of assaulting a media person and also accused in several other charges such as rape, sexual harassment and land encroachment. Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda ordered his arrest after a foreign national alleged that she was sexually abused at the hands of Nithyananda.

However, soon after the arrest order, Nithyananda went missing for 48 hours and later was arrested near Bangalore following his decision of surrendering himself before the court.