Karnataka: Court rejects Murugha Mutt seer bail plea

CHIKBALLAPUR: The second additional district judge on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Murugha Mutt pontiff Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, in the second Pocso case. Second additional district judge BK Komala rejected the bail application filed by the pontiff’s advocates. Sharanaru, who is facing POCSO charges, was arrested on September 1 after the first case was filed on August 26 at Mysuru’s Nazarbad police station, and was subsequently transferred to Chitradurga Rural police station. The pontiff, who was refused bail in the first POCSO case, was rejected in the second case also. The appeal for the first bail plea is before the High Court.

Meanwhile, the court also reserved its orders to December 3, on the application filed by the police under Section 8 of The Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1988, requesting the court not to allow Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru from conducting religious activities or take part in the administrative matters of SJM educational institutions and Murugha Mutt.

Advocate for the seer Umesh said that Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru has already issued power of attorney on running day-to-day matters to Basavaprabhu Swamiji and Vastramutt, as the pontiff is behind bars, hence this issue doesn’t arise, he added.