Bengaluru: Raghaveshwara Bharathi pontiff of Sri Ramachandrapura Mutt, who has been booked for allegedly raping his devotee, appeared before a city court on Friday October 9. Earlier First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court had directed him to appear before the court.
Raghaveshwara Bharathi accompanied by his advocate, appeared before the Court for the first time after the Criminal Investigation Department filed a charge sheet against him in the case.
While the seer completed the bail formalities, Special Public Prosecutor B.A. Belliappa requested the court to cancel the bail since the seer had violated the conditions by not attending the medical examination required for the investigations.
The court posted the next hearing to October 16. The police had made elaborate security arrangements in the court complex on Friday.
Raghaveshwara Bharati Swami, of Sri Ramachandrapura Math (Shivamogga district) was first accused of raping his devotee Premalatha Shastri. This particular high profile case probed by CID has taken many interesting turns in the past year after Premalatha’s daughter alleged that her mother was raped by the seer on several occasions in the past few years.
A second complaint filed against the seer is also being probed by the CID. One Yakshagana artist had filed a complaint that she was sexually harassed by the seer and he had raped her in 2006 when she was staying in the math’s hostel in Hosanagar.
