POCSO court rejects bail plea of Lingayat mutt seer, hostel warden in Karnataka

The special court of Justice B K Komala said, “The objections of learned Special Public Prosecutor that petitioner being Peetadhipathi (head) of Mutt is politically, socially, financially powerful is to be considered seriously and cannot be brushed aside that too considering the facts and circumstances of the case…”

“From the petition averments, the complaint allegations, the position of petitioner, the allegations made against the petitioner and the materials so far collected by the Investigating Officer as has been produced with CD, it can be made out and safely opined that in this case there is a prima facie case against the petitioner,” the court said while rejecting the bail plea of the seer.

Sharanaru was arrested on September 1 under the provisions of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act based on a complaint filed by a child protection officer on behalf of two minor girls. The head pontiff was remanded to further judicial custody.

The court also rejected the bail petition of the warden of the girls. “From the perusal of the remand application, CD and said reports it is seen that, there are recitals alleging that, the present petitioner who was the Warden of hostel… was sending the girls to the private room of accused No.1 on the pretext that accused No.1 would give fruits to them,” the court said in its order rejecting the warden’s bail plea on September 22.

“It is pertinent to note the position that the petitioner holds in the said hostel… Therefore, it can be gathered that, both the accused No.1 and present petitioner had control over the victims,” the court said.

A meeting is likely to be held by the officials of the Muruga Rajendra Mutt on September 29 to decide if Sharanaru should step down as the head pontiff or whether he should be allowed to continue as the head of the 400-year-old ashram.

One of the grounds on which the seer had sought to be released on bail was to participate in an annual festival of the mutt to be held on September 28. “Considering the seriousness of the offences and the gravity of allegations made against the petitioner that too of having committed sexual assault within premises of Mutt, the said ground taken by the petitioner cannot be accepted by any stretch of imagination to grant bail,” the special court said in its order.

A case was registered against the seer by the Mysore police on August 26 under the provisions of the POCSO Act and Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code for rape after two girls aged 16 and 15 told the members of the state Child Welfare Committee that they were sexually assaulted between January 1, 2019 and June 6, 2022.

A total of five persons are listed as accused in the case, including a manager in the mutt, a lawyer and a juvenile pontiff.

The seer was allowed to visit the McGann District Hospital in Shivamogga district last week for a health check up and was later taken back to a prison.