Swami Nithyananda's anticipatory plea posted to April 12

A sessions court today posted to April 12 the hearing of the anticipatory bail application of self-styled godman Nityananda Swami, embroiled in a sex scandal.

When the matter came up, judge Hungund of Ramanagaram sessions court near here adjourned the hearing to April 12.

Nithyananda is facing criminal charges, including rape.

In a related development, Karnataka high court has adjourned hearing of Nithyananda's petition praying for quashing of the criminal cases filed against him to April 15.

The high court had last month rejected his plea for anticipatory bail following which he quit as the head of his ashram in Bidadi near here and all the other trusts associated with him saying he would be in a "spiritual seclusion".

The whereabouts of Nithyananda "are still not known".

All efforts to trace him were being made by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), entrusted with the probe into the cases, police said.