“He is a baby, please spare him,” pleaded a young woman scientist and a graduate in nanotechnology from the prestigious MIT.

She was pleading for controversial godman Swami Nithyananda's release, who walked out on Friday from Mysore jail after he was granted bail by Ramanagaram Deputy Commissioner Srirama Reddy.

The scientist was not alone wanting to see Nithyananda released.

“Another woman – a doctor – said Swami Nithyananda was their ‘deity’ and begged us to release him. There were highly qualified women and men including scientists, corporate honchos, doctors, techies and chartered accountants, who wanted to see their guru and were worried about his safety,” said the IGP Bhaskar Rao.

Bhaskar Rao was the officer, who was handed the additional charge of IGP, Central Range in the absence of incumbent officer Malini Krishnamurthy on Thursday, to handle the law and order in Ramanagaram when Nithyananda was being released on bail.

It is learnt that he headed to Madurai immediately after he was released around 9 pm from the Mysore Central Jail.

The Deputy Commissioner, who also hold magisterial powers, heard the arguments for bail at his office between 3 pm and 4.25 pm.

Public Prosecutor Nagaraja Reddy opposed the bail petition, but the DC, who had reserved his order on the application for 30 minutes, finally granted bail to Nithyananda around 5 pm on Friday. The godman was asked to furnish a personal bond for Rs 1 lakh and surety of like sum.

“The DC obtained an undertaking from Nithyananda stating that he would be held responsible for any public disturbance in the next one year. Any breach of this undertaking would result in his arrest again”, said sources.

The godman was granted bail by the Ramanagaram JMFC Court on Thursday. But, soon after he was released, the district administration exercised Sections 107 and 151 of CrPC to take him into preventive custody and lodged him in Mysore jail.

In jail, Nithyananda spent most of his time in meditation and refused upma served for breakfast and lunch on Friday. But he had fruits in the afternoon and asked for curd rice for dinner on Friday, but had puliyogare and dry fruits from his ashram, Mysore Central Jail Superintendent Jaysimha said.

He was housed in the new building along with two other prisoners. The room had an attached bath, TV and a fan, Jaysimha added.

“Dinner is served till 7.30pm in the jail, but Nithyananda had finished his dinner by the time he came here on Thursday. He finished his morning routine by around 8.30 am and asked for certain puja items including an idol, kumkum, vibhuthi and flowers, which was provided to him. His health is perfectly fine”, Jaysimha said.

A KSRP platoon was deployed for security outside the hail, he added. Two devotees who accompanied him, were not allowed to meet him. “Some Bajrang Dal members too wanted to meet him on Friday, but we did not permit them”, he said.

I don’t mind going to jail: Karnataka CM

With Nithyananda filing a petition in the high court claiming Rs 10 crore from the state for alleged damage caused to his ashram property, Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Friday said he would not mind going to jail to safeguard the interests of the people.

“I would not mind going to jail to protect people’s interest. I will perform my chief ministerial duties even if there are thousands of cases filed against me”, Gowda told reporters. The CM said he did not take any decision against Nithyananda in haste and did it after collecting details about his activities in the ashram.