Sant Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru of Muruga Math, an accused named in the sexual assault case with girl students of a higher secondary school in Karnataka, has been arrested by the police. ADGP, Law and Order Karnataka Alok Kumar gave this information.

ADGP Law and Order, Alok Kumar told that Shivamurthy Muruga Sharnaru of Muruga Math will be produced before the judge after arresting him. Expensive medical test will be done.

A local court in Chitradurga has adjourned till Friday the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea of ​​Mahant Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru, the head of the mutt, in connection with the alleged sexual assault of girls of a high school run by the Muruga Math. Meanwhile, a group of advocates has demanded a probe into the matter under the supervision of the Karnataka High Court. A case has been filed against Mahant under the Protection of Child Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. A local court on Thursday issued an order adjourning the hearing of the bail plea of ​​Mahant, the head of the influential Lingayat mutt, as political parties in the poll-bound state are bracing for allegations against Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru.

A group of advocates has written to the Registrar General of the Karnataka High Court, claiming that the investigation against Shivamurthy Muruga Swamy of Muruga Math in Chitradurga in the alleged sexual abuse case of minor girls is not being conducted in a fair and independent manner. Advocates Siddharth Bhupathi, Sriram T Nayak, Ganesh Prasad BS, Ganesh V and Ponnana KA said, here the accused being an influential person is not being summoned by the investigating officer, let alone being arrested. The letter alleged that Thippareddy, the MLA from Chitradurga, has been regularly visiting the Mahant and extending support to the accused. It said that Home Minister Arga Gyanendra is issuing a press statement saying that an employee of the Math is conspiring against Swamiji.

Math's administrative officer SK Basavarajan on Thursday said he was not involved in any conspiracy against Mahant Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru and he had done his duty by trying to protect the children. Math officials had accused former MLA Basavarajan and his wife of conspiring against the Mahant.

For the first time, Basavarajan broke his silence and said that in the coming days everyone will know everything and if the children are right, they will get justice. Meanwhile, Basavarajan and his wife were granted bail by a court here in a case of sexual assault and kidnapping. The complaint against him was filed by a woman and it is said that the complainant is an employee of the Math. Basavarajan said the case against him and his wife was completely false and counter-accusation in respect of cases registered against Mahant and four others.

Mahant had applied for anticipatory bail, but additional charges were also added against him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as one of the two victims belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. The Second Additional District and Sessions Court had earlier issued a notice to the Child Protection Unit regarding objections to the bail plea under the POCSO Act. Now in the background of inclusion of additional charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the objections of the police (prosecution) on the bail petition have also become necessary.

Apart from the Mahant, five more persons are accused in this case, including a warden of the monastery's hostel. It is alleged that from January 2019 to June 2022, two girls aged 15 and 16, studying in a school run by the monastery and living in a hostel, were sexually harassed. A case has been registered against Mahant under various sections of the Indian Penal Code besides POCSO and SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.