Karnataka ‘godman’ Mallikarjuna Muthya booked under Pocso Act after video with minor goes viral

A team from the District Child Protection Office visited the mutt and submitted findings to the deputy commissioner following an inquiry. Officials who reviewed the footage noted that the child appeared visibly uncomfortable.

A district-level coordination committee, chaired by the deputy commissioner and comprising senior district officials, reviewed the video and directed the District Child Welfare Committee to conduct a formal inquiry. After counselling the family and interacting with the child and her parents, the committee concluded prima facie that the accused had intentionally touched the girl. The child development project officer was then directed to file a formal complaint.

The police have registered a case under Section 75(2) (physical contact, demands, or showing pornography) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 12 (Sexual harassment involves sexual intent through words, sounds, gestures, or displaying objects/pornography to a child) of the Pocso Act, 2012.

A notice has been issued to the accused, and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, the parents released a video on Thursday stating that they visited Mallikarjuna Muthya as it was their daughter’s birthday. “We took his blessings, and he played with her in front of us. We uploaded the video on social media, but it is now being misrepresented,” the family claimed.