Chitradurga court acquits Murugha Sharana and two others accused under POCSO Act

The Chitradurga District and Sessions Court on Wednesday acquitted Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana, head of Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga, and two others accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The seer was among the accused in two POCSO cases filed alleging sexual abuse of minor girls. The case was registered in August 2022 alleging sexual harassment and abuse of two minor girls in an institution affiliated with the mutt. Currently, an acquittal has been issued in one of the cases.

Second additional district and sessions judge Gangadhara Channabasappa Hadapad pronounced the verdict acquitting the accused on Wednesday. The other two people who were acquitted are Rashmi, the hostel manager, and Paramashivaiah, the cottage manager. All three were there when the verdict was announced.

The case was filed at Nazarabad Police Station in Mysuru on August 26, 2022, and was subsequently transferred to Chitradurga Rural Police Station the next day. The seer was arrested on September 1 that year. Chitradurga police filed the charges in the first case on October 27, 2022.

The case had triggered statewide attention, leading to multiple investigations, the arrest of the seer and parallel allegations against people associated with the mutt’s management.

Chitradurga district administration had deployed police around the court. A large number of clergy gathered in the courthouse. The seer set out for Davangere. Speaking to the media in Davangere, he said that he would not react to the judgment at the moment.