Pocso case against Murugha Mutt head: Court posts seer's anticipatory bail plea to Friday

A local court in Chitradurga, Karnataka on Thursday posted for hearing an anticipatory bail application filed by the head of the Murugha Mutt, Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru, to September 2, in a case of alleged sexual assault on two minor girls.

The Police have registered a case against the seer and four others under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso), 2012, and have taken up the investigation.

The district and sessions court judge BK Komala posted the case to Friday after granting a day's time for the advocates of the complainants to file objections.


Odanadi Seva Samsthe, the Mysuru-based nonprofit, which helped the minor students file the police complaint, has also decided to oppose the anticipatory bail through a separate application before the Chitradurga court opposing the anticipatory bail.

Sections of Dalit and other organisations staged a demonstration in Chitradurga on Thursday protesting what they alleged investigators pussyfooting on the case though the FIR was registered five days ago. Sections of Dalit outfits have also called for a state-wide protest on Friday demanding a fair probe into the allegations of sexual assault as one of the two girls is said to belong to an SC community. The police have also registered a case on the seer under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

The two girls who alleged they had been sexually abused by the seer, recorded their statement before a judicial magistrate in Chitradurga on Tuesday. The statements were video recorded under Section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Murugha Sharanaru heads the powerful Veerashaiva-Lingayat mutt, the chief reason for political parties to tread cautiously and avoid making media statements as the community represents the largest vote bloc, making about 18% of population.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken suo-moto cognisance of the case of alleged abuse of minor children by the head of the Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga and issued a notice to the SP, Chitradurga, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report in a week's time.

The Commission has asked the SP to furnish a number of records including age proof of the minor victims, copy of the FIR, statements recorded under section 164 of CrPC, present status of the investigation, the victims and action taken against the accused and status of interim compensation provided to victim.