Sexual assault case: Murugha Mutt head sent to judicial custody till 14 September

New Delhi: A district court in Karnataka’s Chitradurga on Monday sent Murugha Mutt head Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru to judicial custody till September 14 in connection with a case pertaining to sexual assault of minor girls.

Sharanaru, whose police custody ended on Monday, was arrested last week after a case registered under provisions of the POCSO Act and ST/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against him for allegedly sexually harassing two minor girls, studying in a school run by the Mutt and staying in a hostel also owned by it.

#UPDATE | Karnataka: Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, the chief pontiff of Sri Murugha Mutt, accused of sexually assaulting minors sent to judicial custody till September 14 by a district court in Chitradurga. His police custody ended today.

(File Pic) https://t.co/JynWMnFYY0 pic.twitter.com/MYtDTxqY7i

— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2022

On Sunday, a Mysuru-based non-government organisation, which helped book a case against the Murugha Mutt head, demanded that a CBI or a court-monitored inquiry be conducted against the Sharanaru as some people in the administration were colluding to protect him.

Stanly K Varghese, director of NGO ‘Odanadi’, said a high-level probe was necessary against Sharanaru because there were media reports of many missing girls from the hostel, including the granddaughter of a blind man.

“In their statement, they (survivors) have mentioned about three more (missing) girls. That is evident in their statement. I am not talking in a vague manner. There are many girls, but they (survivors) have identified or recognised at least three girls who are there. Their names are mentioned (in the complaint),” Varghese said.

Meanwhile, the seer was subjected to potency and DNA tests, sources in the medical department said.

“He underwent the potency test on Saturday. We also took samples of his blood and hair for DNA test,” a medical officer in Chitradurga said on Sunday.

With inputs from agencies

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