Rape accused Lingayat seer, granted bail by Karnataka High Court, walks out of jail

mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, Nov 16, 2023: Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru walked out of the jail on Thursday, days after being granted conditional bail by the Karnataka High Court, in connection with a case of sexual assault of two girls living in the hostel run by Muruga mutt.

 

Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru is the chief pontiff of a prominent Lingayat mutt in Karnataka’s Chitradurga. He was arrested in September 2022 following protests after two girls accused him of rape.

Initially granted bail by the Karnataka High Court last week, after spending almost 12 months in jail, he also received bail in other cases at the Chitradurga court.

Although his release was scheduled for yesterday, it was postponed to today due to technical reasons. He has been granted conditional bail, with an order not to enter Chitradurga.

The seer left for Davangere from the prison.

RAPE ACCUSTATIONS

Two girls, aged 15 and 16, filed a complaint against Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru and others at the Nazarabad police station in Mysuru alleging sexual harassment at the Lingayat mutt of Chitradurga in Karnataka.

According to the complaint, the girls were sexually abused for over three-and-a-half years by the seer.

The seer was charged with rape and sexual harassment. One of the girls who filed the complaint told the police that there was "repeated sexual penetration" but she refused to give her consent for a medical examination by the doctors.

Later in September 2022, the girl told the government doctor that there was no sexual penetration.

Another FIR was lodged against Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru in October 2023 by a woman who alleged that her daughter, who is a minor, was sexually harassed by the seer.

Courtesy: India Today