The Chitradurga court delivered major relief to Murugha Shree, declaring him not guilty in the long-pending POCSO case
Chitradurga
In a major development, the court has declared Murugha Shree of Murugha Mutt not guilty in the POCSO case filed against him, offering significant relief after years of legal battle. The case, originally registered on August 26, 2022, at Mysuru’s Nazarbad Police Station, involved allegations of sexual harassment made by two minor girls residing in the hostel of Murugha Mutt. After nearly three years of investigation, the Second Additional District and Sessions Court in Chitradurga, presided over by Judge Gangadharappa Channabasappa Hadapad, acquitted him, closing the first case.
The original complaint had named several accused: A1 Murugha Shree, A2 hostel warden Rashmi, A3 Basavaditya, A4 manager Paramashivayya, and A5 advocate Gangadharayya. A day after the case was filed, it was transferred to Chitradurga Rural Police Station, and on September 1, 2022, Murugha Shree and warden Rashmi were arrested. Soon after, another complaint was filed at Nazarbad Police Station on October 13, 2022, by a kitchen assistant from the mutt, alleging harassment of her two minor daughters as well.
Following this, additional accused were added—A6 Mahalinga, an aide of Murugha Shree, and A7 cook Karibasappa. Under the supervision of DySP Anil Kumar, Chitradurga police filed a detailed 694-page chargesheet, submitted in two sets, and later a second chargesheet of 761 pages in January 2023 for the second POCSO case.
During trial proceedings, the High Court granted conditional bail to Murugha Shree on November 8, 2023, and he was released on November 16. However, due to a pending second POCSO case, he was rearrested on November 20 after the Sessions Court denied bail. Later, after the Supreme Court ordered continued judicial custody until completion of witness examination, he surrendered on May 27, 2024. Once testimony from 13 witnesses—including the two survivors—was completed, the court allowed his release as per Supreme Court directions.