Former panchayat chief held in conspiracy case against SJM

In the first week of November, an audio clip went viral on social media where a man could be heard telling a woman to file a sexual harassment case against SJM pontiff Shivamurthy Sharanaru.

The Chitradurga rural police on Thursday night arrested former zilla panchayat president Sowbagya Basavarajan in connection with a conspiracy case filed by Shree Jagadguru Murugharajendra (SJM) mutt, officials said on Friday.

The Chitradurga police arrested former zilla panchayat president Sowbagya Basavarajan over a conspiracy case filed by SJM mutt. (Agencies)

In the first week of November, an audio clip went viral on social media where a man could be heard telling a woman to file a sexual harassment case against SJM pontiff Shivamurthy Sharanaru.

The SJM mutt pontiff, facing two Pocso cases against him, is in judicial custody since September 2.

Based on the audio clip, SJM in-charge pontiff Basavaprabhu Swamiji filed a police complaint on November 9, alleging that the cases against Sharanaru are fake and people accused behind it should be arrested.

The police said they identified the prime accused as Basavarajendran, a teacher at SJM educational institution on November 10.

The audio went viral in which Basavarajendran can be heard influencing the victim on request from her mother to file a sexual harassment complaint against the pontiff.

In the audio clip, Basavarajendra could be heard calling the minor victim and requesting her to file a case which she initially refused.

The police booked a conspiracy case against the victim’s mother, former administrator of SJM mutt S K Basavarajan, and his spouse Sowbagya.

Police also detained the Pocso victim’s mother on November 11 and released her after 21 days.

Sowbagya fled after she was named in the FIR. She also filed for anticipatory bail, which was rejected by the Chitradurga sessions court.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Exercising powers under the Religious Institutions (Prevention Of Misuse) Act, 1988, judge Chitradurga second additional and sessions court judge B K Komala on Thursday ordered Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Mutt (SJM) pontiff Shivamurthy Sharana not to interfere with any affairs of SJM mutt or SJM educational institutions.