Ramachandrapura Mutt seer gets clean chit in rape case

A City court on Thursday discharged seer Raghaveshwara Bharathi of Ramachandrapura Mutt of raping a singer, who was part of Rama Katha discourses organised by the Mutt.

The Civil Court Hall-54 judge G B Mudigoudar discharged the accused against whom the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had filed a charge sheet under Sections 376 (2) (f) and 376 (2) (n) for rape and 508 for citing divine displeasure. The court held that there was no evidence to prove the charges.

The CID charge sheet in the case (164/2014) registered with the Girinagar police station in Bengaluru, had established that the seer has sexually abused the singer repeatedly during the Rama Katha discourses across the country since 2011. The vital evidence in the case claimed by the CID was the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report. The CID stated that the FSL report confirmed that the DNA sample found on the material evidence matched with the DNA of the seer. The charge sheet also stated that the seer repeatedly threatened the victim of incurring divine displeasure (if she did not comply). Hence, section 508 of IPC was also included.

The court had taken cognisance of the charge sheet and had summoned the accused. Before the stage of Hearing Before Charge (HBC), the seer had filed a discharge application. The CID objected stating that since the charges against the accused were serious, only a trial would unearth the facts. The court, however, discharged him of all the offences.

The victim had stated that after the Rama Katha programme at Gokarna in Uttara Kannada, in September 2011, the seer had made the first sexual advances at her.

Later, during the Rama Katha discourses held at Jodhpur in Rajasthan in October 2011, the seer had called her to his private room and given her some prasadam. The victim stated that the sexual abuse had taken place in Kolkata, Mumbai and in nine districts of Karnataka. The victim was a prominent singer in the Rama Katha programmes and the seer was also present during these programmes. The CID had conducted mahazar and recorded the statements of witnesses at all the places stated by the victim.
DHNS

In July 2014, a woman by name Deepika, who participated in Rama Katha discourses, filed a complaint with the Honnavar police saying she got threatening calls asking her not to participate in the discourse.

In August 2014, Mutt staffer Raghavendra Madhyasta filed a complaint with the Puttur town police stating he got threat calls asking him not to support the seer.

In August 2014, one Chandrashekhar of Ramachandrapura Mutt filed a complaint with the Honnavar police against the victim in FIR number 164/2014 and her husband of blackmailing the seer for Rs 3 crore. The couple was arrested by Honnavar police and kept in judicial custody.

In August 2014, victim's daughter filed a complaint with the Girinagar (Bengaluru) police stating the seer had sexually abused her mother. The CID filed a charge sheet against the seer; the court (on Thursday) discharged the seer.

In August 2014, victim's brother-in-law Shyamprasad Shastry committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence in Puttur, Dakshina Kannada district. Shastry’s wife Sandhya Lakshmi filed a complaint stating that her husband was threatened by the mutt staff to ask the victim to withdraw the rape case against the seer.