Bengaluru: Nithyananda Swami of Nithyanada Dhyanapeeta, Bidadi near Bengaluru, on Wednesday moved the Karnataka High Court challenging the Ramanagaram court’s order to frame charges against him in a rape case, while rejecting his plea to discharge him from the case.

Apart from Nithyananda, five other accused — Gopala Sheelam Reddy alias Nithya Bhakthananda; Shiva Vallabhaneni alias Nithya Sachidananda; Danasekaran alias Nithya Sadananda; Ragini alias Maa Nithya Sachidananda; and Jamuna Rani alias Maa Nithyananda, have also questioned the trial court’s order of rejecting their applications seeking discharge from the case.

The Third Additional District and Sessions Court, Ramanagaram, had on February 19 rejected their plea for discharging while holding that there were prima facie materials to proceed against them.

During the hearing, counsel for some of the accused contended that the trial court had not provided a reasonable opportunity of hearing on their plea to make certain submissions while also claiming that the trial court decided to frame the charges without properly applying its mind on the charge sheet and related documents. The case was adjourned for hearing till March 2.