Shivamurthy Muruga Sharana
Chitradurga District and Sessions Court on Wednesday acquitted Shivamurthy Murugh Sharan, head of Murugh Mutt in Chitradurga, and two others charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The seer was among the accused in two POCSO cases filed on allegations of sexually abusing minor girls. A case was registered in August 2022 after two minor girls from an institution associated with the mutt alleged sexual harassment and exploitation. There is now an acquittal in one of the cases.
Second Additional District and Sessions Judge Gangadhara Channabasappa Hadapad on Wednesday pronounced the judgment acquitting the accused. The other two freed are Rashmi, the hostel warden, and Paramashivaiah, the manager at the mutt. All three were present at the sentencing.
A case was registered at Nazarabad Police Station in Mysore on 26 August 2022 and was subsequently transferred to Chitradurga Rural Police Station the following day. The soothsayer was arrested on September 1 of the same year. The Chitradurga police filed the chargesheet in the first case on 27 October 2022.
The case attracted national attention, leading to several rounds of investigation, the arrest of a fortune teller, and parallel charges involving people connected to the killer’s administration.
The Chitradurga district administration has deployed police around the court. Many devotees had gathered in the court premises. The seer left for Davangere. Speaking to the media in Davangere, he said he would not comment on the verdict at this time.
Published – 26 Nov 2025 19:15 IST
