He was 59. Premananda, who was having multiple health problems in the recent years, was also suffering from an acute “end-stage” liver disease. He faced charges of sexually abusing minor girls. A session’s court in 1997 awarded him a double life sentence. His subsequent appeals in the Madras HC and SC were of no avail. The godman, who was lodged in the Cuddalore Central jail, however, claimed that he was innocent till the end.