The Chitradurga police late on Thursday night arrested the head of Brihan Mutt in Chitradurga, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment of two minor girls who were in the hostel run by the mutt.
The development came six days after he was booked under provisions of the POCSO Act and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The police officials entered the mutt premises after 10 p.m. and took the seer into custody amidst tight security.
Bail plea
The arrest came hours after the hearing on anticipatory bail plea of Murugha Sharanaru was adjourned till Friday, allowing a day’s time for the prosecution and victims’ counsels to submit their objections.
Pressure had been mounting on the police for his arrest as activists and several organisations had started questioning the delay in arresting the seer, who heads a prominent Lingayat mutt. Several progressive and Dalit organisations have organised a rally in Bengaluru on Friday with this demand.
Counsel for Murugha Sharanaru had moved the anticipatory bail application on August 29 before Second Additional District and Sessions Court. However, as judge B.K. Komala was on leave, First Additional District and Sessions judge Kalkani had admitted the plea and had posted the matter for hearing on Thursday.
The two minor girls, victims of alleged sexual harassment, and their parents appeared before the court. Advocates of District Legal Service Authority and also High Court advocate Srinivas appeared before the court on behalf of the minor girls. The judge sought the opinion of the girls and their fathers and subsequently considered the application moved by Mr. Srinivas.
The counsel for the girls argued that as the notices had been served to them on Thursday, they should be given time to submit their objections. The judge allowed their submission and adjourned the hearing to Friday giving them time for filing objections.
Meanwhile, the administrator of the mutt S.K. Basavarajan and his wife Soubhaya were granted bail in the counter-case pertaining to alleged harassment and “kidnap of children” filed by warden of the hostel run by the mutt. The administrator has been removed from his post.
Lookout notice
Earlier, a lookout notice had been issued against seer as a precautionary measure. Superintendent of Police of Chitradruga K. Parashuram said the notice was issued on August 29 after reports about the seer not being found in the mutt emerged. “As the seer holds a passport, the lookout notice was issued as a precautionary measure,” he said.
The case against the seer and four others was first registered in Mysuru. The two girls, with the help of Mysuru-based Odanadi Seva Samsthe, an NGO engaged in rescue and rehabilitation of sexually-exploited women and children in Mysuru, had appeared before the Mysuru district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on August 26 and made the statement detailing their alleged sexual harassment by the seer with the assistance of the hostel warden and three others.
Based on the directions of the CWC, the Legal and Probation Officer, Mysuru district Child Protection Unit, has lodged a complaint with the Nazarbad police station. Case was booked under POCSO Act and later also under SC/ST Atrocities Act, since one of the victims is a dalit.
Later the case was transferred to Chitradurga, based on the place of occurrence as cited in the complaint.
