Bengaluru: The High Court has concluded its hearing on the bail application of Dr. Shivamurthy Sharan, the Pontiff of Chitradurga Muruga Mutt, who has been in custody for over a year on charges of sexually harassing young girls.
A bench in Dharwad, presided over by Justice Srinivas Harish Kumar, heard the bail application submitted by Shivamurthy Sharan, and the verdict is now pending. During the hearing on Tuesday, Advocate D.C. Srinivas, representing the Odanadi organization that supported the victims in filing the complaint, argued that seer holds significant influence. Granting him bail could potentially endanger the underprivileged children who are the victims in this case. Srinivas stressed that one victim had willingly testified before the Magistrate Court about Sharan’s alleged sexual abuse and urged the court to take this matter seriously and refrain from granting bail to Sharan.
In a previous trial, the government prosecutor presented evidence of sexual exploitation of students in the hostel of Sharan’s monastery and urged the High Court not to grant bail to the accused. Sharan’s attorney argued 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 has 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 sexual assault. The complaint was filed at Nazarbad Police Station in Mysore on the 26th of that month, and Sharan was taken into custody on September 1, 2022. Since then, he has remained in judicial custody at Chitradurga Jail.
