Chitradurga Court Acquits Murugha Sharana in POCSO Case

The District and Sessions Court in Chitradurga on Wednesday acquitted Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana, head of Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga, and two others, accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The seer was among the accused in two POCSO cases filed on allegations of sexually exploiting minor girls. The case was registered in August 2022, after two minor girls from an institution associated with the mutt alleged sexual harassment and exploitation. The acquittal is now in one of the cases. Second additional district and session judge Gangadhara Channabasappa Hadapad pronounced the judgment on Wednesday acquitting the accused. The other two acquitted are Rashmi, warden of the hostel, and Paramashivaiah, a manager in the mutt. All the three were present when the verdict was pronounced. The case was filed in the Nazarabad Police Station in Mysuru on August 26, 2022, and was subsequently transferred to Chitradurga Rural Police Station the next day. The seer was arrested on September 1 that year. The Chitradurga police filed the charge sheet in the first case on October 27, 2022. The case had triggered state-wide attention, leading to multiple rounds of investigation, arrest of the seer, and parallel allegations involving individuals connected to the mutt’s administration. The Chitradurga district administration had deployed police around the court. Many devotees had gathered on the court premises. The seer left for Davangere. Speaking to the media in Davangere, he said that he would not react to the judgment at the moment.

Cover image source: Chitradurga Murugha mutt seer acquitted in first POCSO case; court finds no grounds for conviction 🔗

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