The members of Veerashaiva Lingayat group and followers of Jagadguru Murugarajendra Vidyapeetha Mutt in Chitradurga have determined to maneuver Karnataka excessive court docket, looking for appointment of a brand new pontiff as its present pontiff, Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru, is in jail in a sexual assault case, group leaders stated on Thursday.
The choice to method the court docket was taken at a gathering on Thursday amid considerations that salaries of over 3,500 employees members throughout instructional establishments run by the mutt remained undistributed since August.
The assembly at S Nijalingappa memorial premises was chaired by former minister H Ekanthaiah and attended by over 1,500 members of the group.
“The group leaders raised considerations as over 3,500 employees members throughout greater than 150 instructional establishments run by the mutt haven’t obtained any wage since August,” Ekanthaiah advised HT. In the meantime, mutt administrator Vastradmat stated that the mutt had filed enchantment in Karnataka excessive court docket to grant the ability to signal the cheques to the seer.
Mutt administrator Vastradmat advised HT that they’ve filed an enchantment within the excessive court docket to permit the seer to signal cheques from the jail for launch of funds.
Sharanaru was arrested on September 1 after two ladies learning in a college and residing in a hostel run by the mutt accused him of sexual assault. He was arrested per week after an FIR was registered, as police and the state authorities confronted criticism for alleged inaction within the case.
The mutt wields appreciable affect within the state and is believed to own property in extra of ₹200 crore.
The accused has been booked beneath Indian Penal Code, Safety of Kids from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and is at present in judicial custody. 4 of his associates have additionally been booked beneath comparable prices and are in custody.
In line with individuals conscious of the developments, the seer has refused to step down from the put up of the pontiff. The individuals additionally identified that it’s for the primary time within the mutt’s 300-year historical past that its head seer is going through felony prices.
The excessive court docket is already listening to a plea of the seer, looking for permission to signal cheques and paperwork from the jail for launch of funds.
Initially on September 21, the seer’s lawyer, Sandeep Patil, had approached Chitradurga classes court docket. He argued that the seer’s signature was essential to launch the salaries of round 3,500 workers of SJM Vidyapeeth, a sequence of instructional establishments run by the mutt.
The classes court docket, nevertheless, denied permission and issued an order on September 20, limiting the identical.
Opposing the enchantment, public prosecutor M Nagaveni argued that if the court docket grants permission to signal the paperwork in jail, there could also be a risk of misappropriation of property and property belonging to the mutt.
An interim administrator has already been appointed for the establishment, the general public prosecutor stated, including head seer’s signatures usually are not required.
After the classes court docket rejected the enchantment, the seer moved the excessive court docket.
On Wednesday, the excessive court docket noticed that no employees ought to be compelled to quick due to the continued points within the mutt and directed Patil to submit a memorandum with particulars on cost of salaries. The small print have been subsequently submitted.
Nevertheless, on Thursday, the court docket stated there was no readability within the seer’s request as he needed to signal the cheques to pay the salaries of the staff, however the plea to signal cheques in jail, it discovered, was odd as all of the cheques have been to “pay self”. The case was adjourned to Friday.