Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru of Brihan Mutt, who is under judicial custody in connection with the alleged sexual harassment of minor girls, has handed over General Power of Attorney (GPA) to the new administrator of the mutt and former judge S.B. Vastramath.
Mr. Vastramath, who is also the secretary of SJM Vidyapeetha, said the legal process was completed in prison after getting requisite permission from the High Court. He said that being the chairman of SJM Vidyapeetha, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru had the authority to clear administrative and financial issues. And now him granting GPA, the administrative and financial issues would be resolved, he said.
Mr. Vastramath clarified that there was no question of the seer abdicating the peetha and he would continue to be the chairman of Chinumuladri Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Trust.
With the seer being in prison, the employees of the Vidyapeetha and educational institutions were facing problems with wages and salaries. The High Court had given one-time permission to get the seer’s signatures from the prison. Consequently, the proposal to hand over GPA to the administrator was placed before the High Court, which permitted it.
Speaking in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the entire episode will be dealt with “as per provisions of law.”
Statement recorded
Meanwhile, the Chitradurga district police recorded the statement of another victim and her guardian under 161 CrPC and requested the jurisdictional court to record the statement of the girl under Section 164 of CrPC. The court has fixed October 17 for recording of statement.
The police have also requested the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to bring the complainant and the victims for further investigation. It may recalled that another case under POCSO has been filed against the seer in Mysuru.
Published - October 15, 2022 08:37 pm IST
