Court sends Lingayat mutt chief, accused of raping minors, to three days’ police custody
The seer was arrested on Thursday night, a week after an FIR was registered against him for alleged sexual assault of two minor students.
A district court in Chitradurga on Friday sent influential Lingayat mutt chief, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, to three days of police custody. The police, however, had sought custody for five days.
The seer was arrested on Thursday night, a week after an FIR was registered against him for alleged sexual assault of two minor students. The pontiff was brought down to the court from the district hospital where he was admitted to after he complained of chest pain.
Shivamurthy, who was arrested on Thursday night, was handed over to judicial custody. Hours after he was jailed, the authorities brought him to the district government hospital in Chitradurga town. As he was in judicial custody, the cops had approached the court seeking police custody for five days.
The Second Additional District and Sessions Court Judge BK Komala, who is also the judicial officer of the district, asked the police as to why she was not informed about the hospitalisation of Shivamurthy and asked the jail superintendent to appear before her. By afternoon, the jail superintendent appeared before the court and explained that the seer’s health condition had deteriorated and that he needed to be shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru. According to the sources, the jail superintendent did not furnish any documents at that point to support the claim.
Judge Komala was not convinced and she asked the jail authorities to produce the seer before her. Around 4.05 pm, Shivamurthy appeared before the court. He broke down while the case was being heard. Judge Komala handed over Shivamurthy to the police for three days and also directed them to monitor his health.
The court directed to bring Shivamurthy to court on September 5 at 11 am.
Following the pronouncement of the judgment, followers of the seer staged a protest outside the court, saying that the arrest was a part of a conspiracy.
