CHITRADURGA: Chitradurga Murugharajendra Bruhan Math pontiff Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, who was facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in two cases and was in jail for the last 14 months, was released on Thursday.
The Second Additional District and Sessions Court had, on Wednesday, issued an order directing the Chitradurga district prison authorities to release Murugha Mutt Seer Dr Shivamurthy Sharana, but the seer was not released as the copy of the order did not reach the officials concerned in time.
As soon as the court orders were delivered to the jail authorities by the counsel of Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana, the jail authorities released the pontiff.
He was received by a large group of devotees outside the district jail situated on the old Bengaluru road and later Sharanaru travelled to Davanagere in a car.
On reaching the Shivayogashrama in Davanagere, Murugha Sharanaru bowed to the Gadduge of Jayadeva Shree the previous head of the Murugha Mutt. Addressing the media, he said that he would not react on a subjudice matter.
He also said that he would not speak anything and remain silent for some days.
The sessions court on Thursday examined the conditions imposed by the Karnataka High Court which had granted bail to the seer.
After verifying the documents, the court issued the release order. As it reached the prison late in the evening, he was not released.
Earlier, the police had issued the copy of the body warrant to the prison authorities in the second POCSO case.
The counsel for the seer objected to the appeal made by the public prosecutor that the body warrant issued against the seer in the second POCSO case has to be converted into judicial custody.
On Thursday, the judge rejected the appeal made by the public prosecutor, paving the way for the release of the pontiff. The pontiff appeared for the hearing through video conference from the jail in the presence of the jail superintendent MM Marakatti.
It can be recalled that Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru was arrested in the POCSO case of sexual harassment of two minor girls on September 1, 2022 by the Chitradurga rural police station and was kept in judicial custody at Chitradurga district prison.
The Karnataka High Court on Nov 8 granted conditional bail, giving relief to Pontiff after a gap of 14 months.