Ex-administrative officer, wife get anticipatory bail in Murugha Mutt sexual abuse case

A woman, who resides in Murugha Mutt, had registered a complaint, alleging that Basavarajan touched her inappropriately

The First Additional District & Sessions Court, on Thursday, granted anticipatory bail to Murugha Mutt's former administrative officer S K Basavarajan and his wife Soubhagya Basavarajan in the child abduction and harassment case.

Advocate Ramachandra, representing the couple, had filed an anticipatory bail petition in the court in the case registered by Chitradurga Rural Police following the complaint by the Murugha Mutt hostel warden. Judge Anita Kumari heard the anticipatory bail petition in the afternoon. The advocate representing the warden appealed to the court to direct the accused to appear before the court. Following the instructions from the judge, the couple appeared before the court. After hearing arguments from the couple, the judge granted anticipatory bail to them.

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The Chitradurga Rural Police had registered an FIR against S K Basavarajan, the administrative officer of the Murugha Mutt, on sexual harassment charges. His wife Sowbhagya Basavarajan was booked for abetting the crime.

A woman, who resides in Murugha Mutt, had registered a complaint, alleging that Basavarajan visited the girls’ hostel at around 6 pm on July 27, and touched her inappropriately.

"He harassed me sexually since I questioned his action and also for the reason that I did not cooperate with him in the conspiracy to instigate the staff against the pontiff," the woman has said in the complaint.

The complaint also said that two girls studying in the Mutt school left the hostel, citing personal reasons. But, they did not return to their houses. Instead, they went to Cottonpet Police Station (in Bengaluru). Basavarajan brought these girls back and instead of sending them to the hostel, he confined them in his house.

A case had been registered under IPC sections 354A (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty),506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) 504 (insulting some person intentionally), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).