Udupi: Foundation stone laid for Salihath First Grade College at Tonse

New Delhi, Mar 4: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed a trial court in Ramanagara district of Karnataka to ensure the presence of absconding self-styled godman Swami Nithyananda to face trial in a 2010 rape case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde also allowed a plea by K Lenin alias Nithya Dharmananda, former driver of Nithyananda and had filed a complaint against Nithyananda, for cancellation of non-bailable warrants issued against him.

The apex court ordered the cancellation of the non-bailable warrants issued against the complainant in the case on the condition he shows up before the trial court in Ramanagara district today itself.

He had challenged the Karnataka High Court's February order where non-bailable warrants were issued against Lenin for not appearing before the court for recording evidence.

"Having heard the counsel appearing for the petitioner and upon perusal of the record, we see no reason to interfere with the judgment and order passed by the High Court, which merely directs the petitioner to give evidence in support of his complaint," read the apex court order passed on Tuesday.

The Bench also directed that "the concerned trial court shall make every effort to ensure the presence of accused (Nithyananda) to face the proceedings."

The Karnataka High Court had last month cancelled the bail granted to Nithyananda, even as the state police claimed the absconding godman was on a 'spiritual tour'.

Nithyananda is facing charges of rape and indulging in unnatural sex. He was arrested on April 22, 2010, however, granted bail on June 11, the same year.

Mangaluru, Apr 4: The mother and grandmother of the 10-month-old baby boy, under treatment at a private hospital in Deralakatte here for COVID-19 infection, tested negative.

Doctors at the hospital said the condition of the infant, who was admitted with an acute respiratory infection, was stable and there had been a good response to the treatment being given in isolation.

The child, hailing from Sajipanadu Village in Bantwal Taluk was admitted to a hospital at Deralakatte in Mangaluru for treatment on March 23 as it had developed respiratory problems. 

On March 24, the child’s condition worsened and hence his throat swabs was sent for COVID-19 testing. On March 27, reports of the tests confirmed that the child was infected with COVID-19.

Health authorities are of the view that the baby might have contracted the disease when the family travelled recently to Kasaragod in Kerala, a district identified as a hotspot for Coronavirus.

Mangaluru, Mar 22: A video being circulated in the social media purportedly of a man infected with COVID-19 at a hospital here is fake, its authorities said.

The video which shows a youth, dressed in pink trousers and wearing a mask, struggling to breathe on a blue hospital bed, had gone viral after which the Wenlock hospital issued a clarification.

The video started circulating after Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner made public Sunday that a person has tested positive for coronavirus at the hospital.

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"A video of a patient convulsing on a hospital bed is being circulated on social media. This video is not of Wenlock hospital. Besides, we do not use blue beds," the hospital said in a statement, adding that they will file a complaint with the police regarding the video.

The first COVID-19 case in the district was confirmed at the hospital on Sunday.

The 22-year old man who came here from Dubai was tested positive and is under treatment in the isolation ward.