The Karnataka high court has directed the Chitradurga district police to refrain from taking any coercive action against Shivmurthy Murugha Sharan, the head of Chitradurga’s Muruga Math, in one of the sexual assault cases filed against him under the protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) Act.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, who presided over the hearing on Monday, reviewed the petitions filed by Sharan, which questioned the charges levelled against him in a case registered at the Chitradurga Rural police station. One of the complaint was lodged by the mother of two minor girls, who accused Sharan of sexually assaulting her daughters and other minors at the Murugha Math premises.
Additional special public prosecutor BN Jagadish, representing the state, requested time to file objections to Sharan’s petition. “I will discuss the case with the investigating officer and file our objections,” he said.
Senior advocate CV Nagesh, representing Sharan, argued that the charges were politically motivated and should be reconsidered. He pointed out that similar accusations had previously been addressed under the Pocso Act and that the current case is based on statements from a cook at the Math. Nagesh contended that the repetition of these allegations, along with the same evidence, suggested a political vendetta against Sharan. He noted that the testimonies of 13 witnesses had already been recorded, which led to Sharan’s release from judicial custody earlier. Nagesh urged the court to stay further proceedings.
The case against Sharan initially surfaced when an FIR was registered on October 13, 2022, at Nazarbad Police Station in Mysuru, before being transferred to the Chitradurga Rural Police Station. The FIR charged Sharan under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape (Section 376), kidnapping (Section 366), and voluntarily causing hurt (Section 323), along with sections of the POCSO Act, Prevention of Abuse of Religious Institutions Act, and Juvenile Justice Act.
{{/usCountry}}The case against Sharan initially surfaced when an FIR was registered on October 13, 2022, at Nazarbad Police Station in Mysuru, before being transferred to the Chitradurga Rural Police Station. The FIR charged Sharan under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape (Section 376), kidnapping (Section 366), and voluntarily causing hurt (Section 323), along with sections of the POCSO Act, Prevention of Abuse of Religious Institutions Act, and Juvenile Justice Act.
{{/usCountry}}Two separate charge sheets have been filed based on the complaints from the two victims. These charges, which have now been challenged by Sharan, are at the center of the ongoing legal battle.
“The two cases are different, and separate charge sheets have been filed. We will take appropriate action,” Jagadish said.
The court granted the request and scheduled the next hearing for October 16. In the interim, the bench ordered that no coercive measures be taken against Sharan.