Ignoring the sex CD of Swami Nithyananda , Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani has bestowed on him the title of maha-mandaleshwar, which is normally given to those saints who are believed to have attained godly qualities.Other groups of sadhus have strongly objected to the conferment of the highest title on the seer, questioned the procedure followed and said that not all the akharas were consulted.Better known as "sex-swami" after a sting operation by a TV channel caught him in intimate scenes with a popular Tamil actress at his Dhyanapeetam ashram in Bidadi near Bangaluru in March 2010, the swami had escaped to avoid arrest and was finally nabbed by the police a month later in Arki, Himachal Pradesh.Maha mandaleshwar Swami Vishwadevanand Puri, head of Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani, conferred the title on Nithyananda amid chanting of Vedic mantras on Tuesday night and offered him a shawl which is the concluding ceremony of a two-day long ritual.Maha mandaleshwar Swami Shukhdevanand Puri of Atal Akhara was also present there when the ceremony was organised and he too recognised the "sex-swami" as maha mandaleshwar.In return Nithyananda, one of the richest swamis in the world, gave them "secret donations" asJustifying the decision, mahant Ravindra Puri said, "There was a complaint since long that we were not honouring the saints of South India. So we decided to give him the highest honour."But other akharas have reacted against this decision and said that the dignity of the post of maha mandaleshwar should be preserved.Mahant Narendra Giri, secretary of Niranjani Akhara, said, "It is wrong to give this revered title to a man who has indulged in sexual activities of a kind which is disapproved by even common men. The case is pending in the court and the people have seen his CD. He is an immoral person in the guise of a sadhu. We are against giving him the title of maha mandaleshwar.""Nithyananda is not fit for the honour. The pre-condition of such ceremonies is that compete transparency would be observed. But one akhara secretly organised a function in the night and gave him the title of maha mandaleshwar. Such a decision will damage our reputation," he further said.He explained that the honour is deemed conferred on someone only when the heads of all the akharas offer shawls to him."There are eight mahants and eight sub-mahants in each akhara who take crucial decisions. Out of these sixteen revered saints, five are nominated for the ceremony to declare someone maha mandaleshwar. They are called Ramta Panch. But the heads of other 12 akharas are also consulted before the ceremony starts. If they don't attend the function to offer shawl, the title cannot be confirmed. When someone is recognised as maha mandaleshwar, then he is respected by all the akharas and allowed to participate in their rituals as and when he wished," he explained.Sadhvi Karuna of Juna akhara said, "It is a shame that such a person has become a maha mandaleshwar. The members of all the akharas have decided to hold a meeting soon on this issue."