High court reserves verdict on bail application of Chitradurga Muruga mutt pontiff

Bengaluru: The High Court has concluded the hearing on the bail application of Dr. Shivamurthy Sharan, the Prefect of Chitradurga Muruga Mutt, who has been behind bars for over a year following his arrest on charges of sexually harassing young girls.

A bench in Dharwad, led by Justice Srinivas Harish Kumar, heard the criminal petition submitted by Shivamurthy Sharan, seeking bail. The verdict has been reserved. During Tuesday's hearing, Advocate D.C. Srinivas, representing Odanadi organization that aided the victims in filing the complaint, argued that Sharan is an influential figure. Granting him bail could potentially pose a threat to the underprivileged children who are the victims in this case. Srinivas emphasized that one victim had voluntarily testified before the Magistrate Court about Sharan's alleged sexual abuse. He urged the court to take this matter seriously and refrain from granting bail to Sharan.

In the previous trial, the government prosecutor presented evidence that students in the hostel of Sharan's monastery had been subjected to sexual exploitation. They implored the High Court not to grant bail to the accused. Sharan's attorney contended that their client should be granted bail, citing medical examinations that reportedly showed no evidence of sexual assault. The bench heard arguments from all three parties involved and reserved the final verdict.

The case dates back to August 2022 when minor female students studying at the educational institution affiliated with Muruga Mutt accused Sharan of sexually assaulting them. The complaint was filed at Nazarbad Police Station in Mysore on the 26th of that month. Sharan was subsequently taken into custody on the 1st of September 2022. Since then, he has remained in judicial custody at Chitradurga Jail.