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Second Additional District Court rules the Lingayat seer not guilty in the high-profile 2022 protection of children from sexual offences case.
In a major judgment, the Second Additional District Court in Chitradurga has declared Murugha Mutt’s Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru not guilty in the 2022 POCSO case. The verdict, delivered by Judge Gangadhar Channabasappa Hadapad, comes after the court reserved its decision earlier in the day following the completion of arguments.
The case had drawn statewide attention ever since it was registered on August 26, 2022, at Mysuru’s Nazarbad Police Station. Two minor students from the Mutt’s hostel had filed the initial complaint, naming the seer as the prime accused. The case was transferred the next day to Chitradurga Rural Police Station, where the investigation was taken up by a team led by DySP Anil.
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During the probe, investigators filed two separate charge sheets, marked as A and B, detailing allegations under the POCSO Act, the Atrocities Act, and the Religious Institutions Misuse Act. The combined documentation amounted to 694 pages, naming five individuals as accused. The list included A1-Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, A2 – hostel warden Rashmi, A3 – Basavaditya, A4 – manager Parameshivayya, and A5 – advocate Gangadharayya.
The primary allegation against the seer involved repeated sexual assault on hostel students through the alleged involvement of the lady warden. Both the seer and the warden were arrested on September 1, 2022, shortly after the case was transferred.
A second complaint was later filed on October 13, 2022, at the Nazarbad Station by a kitchen staff member. She accused the seer of sexually harassing her two minor daughters, adding another layer to the case.
The court, after evaluating the evidence presented across both charge sheets, dismissed the charges against the seer and concluded that he was not guilty in the POCSO case.
