Karnataka: Court adjourns anticipatory bail petition of Murugha Mutt pontiff to Sept 1

Chitradurga (Karnataka) [India], August 30 : Hearing in the anticipatory bail petition of the chief pontiff of the Murugha Mutt, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru has been adjourned to September 1 by the District Sessions Court in Chitradurga.
Meanwhile, seers of various religious mutts held a press conference in Chitradurga today.
Swami (chief pontiff of Sri Murugha Mutt, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru) after being acquitted of all charges will take the Mutt (Sri Murugha Mutt) to greater heights, a seer said.
"Only Swami Ji (Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru) has the right to remove people from the Mutt, no one else can do so, says a seer present in the press conference by seers of various religious Mutts.
"Children are like God. Probe to bring out the truth," he adds.
An FIR under the POCSO Act has been registered against the pontiff of the influential Muruga Math in Chitradurga after minor girls made allegations of sexual harassment against him.
The FIR has been filed against Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru of Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga. According to the FIR, the girls were abused for over two years.
Earlier this month, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Murugha Math in Chitradurga along with party leaders DK Shivakumar and KC Venugopal. The Murugha Mutt is also known to be an influential institution with a long list of politicians visiting regularly. The pontiff also gave Gandhi the 'Lingadeekshe', which is an official ceremony inviting a person into the Lingayat sect.
Speaking about it, Lahar Singh Siroya, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha said, "This is an extremely shocking and sad development. Each time something like this happens it shakes our confidence in our own surroundings, and in our own people. As a society, we owe it to ourselves that these allegations are probed thoroughly and impartially. The Karnataka government and all political parties have to ensure that there are no pulls, pressures, politics and interference in this case. The girls deserve nothing but justice."
"If there is even an iota of doubt that interests of justice will be served better if this case is transferred outside Karnataka, then that too should be considered. In this case, not only perceptions matter but restoring confidence in the health of our society is important. All of us have a crucial role to play in that respect," the MP added.
Karnataka minister V Somanna on Monday said, "Let the police investigate the case and let the truth come out. It is not appropriate to speak on the case as an investigation is underway," Somanna said.