An area courtroom in Karnataka’s Chitradurga on Tuesday prolonged for 14 days the judicial custody of Shivamurthy Sharanaru, the Murugha mutt pontiff arrested for the alleged sexual assault of two minor college students.
The Chitradurga courtroom prolonged the pontiff’s judicial custody until October 10. The judicial custody of the warden, one other accused within the case, was additionally prolonged until October 10.
In the meantime, sources near the mutt stated that they’re scheduled to carry a gathering on September 29 to determine whether or not Sharanaru should step down from the pontiff place or proceed. In response to an worker of the mutt, the staff are upset that the incident has affected the picture of the 400-year-old mutt and impacted its day-to-day operations.
Sharanaru, who heads the Jagadguru Murugharajendra Vidyapeetha, was arrested after being booked for rape and below the Safety of Youngsters from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act on the grievance of two minors who stayed at a faculty hostel that the mutt runs. He has been in jail since September 1. The women had instructed members of the state Baby Welfare Committee that they have been sexually assaulted between January 1, 2019, and June 6, 2022. The case was later transferred to the Chitradurga district police.