Lingayat mutt sex scandal: Karnataka High Court appoints local judge as administrator

Bengaluru, July 3 (IANS) The Karnataka High Court on Monday appointed the Chitradurga district Sessions Court judge as the administrator of the prominent Murugha Rajendra Bruhanmutt.

The court had also given directions to take charge of the mutt on Tuesday.

A division bench of Chief Justice P.B. Varale and M.J.S. Kamal had given the order while looking into the petition questioning the government's decision to withdraw the appointment of the administrator of the mutt.

H. Ekanath had made an appeal petition in this regard.

The bench stated that the administrator has been appointed temporarily and will look into the day today administration of Murugha mutt and the institutions which are run by it. But, there is no scope for forming policies in this regard.

The District Collector should extend necessary cooperation for the same, it said, adjourning the matter to July 18.

The pontiff of Murugha mutt Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru is under judicial custody in connection with the Pocso and SC/ST Act charges.

The previous BJP government had appointed retired IAS officer P.S. Vastrad as the administrator of the mutt in December 13, 2022.

Questioning the decision of the government, temporary pontiff Basavaprabhu swamiji and devotees had approached the High Court and maintained that appointment of administrator is unconstitutional according to the Article 162 of the Constitution. They had also submitted a petition questioning the prohibition imposed by the Chitradurga District and Session Court on the pontiff to carry out his powers.

Hearing both the petitions, the High Court bench had quashed the order of the government to appoint an administrator. The order of the lower court was also cancelled and the bench opined that the government should not interfere in the matters of religious mutt.

The Congress government had decided not to appeal the decision of the High Court bench's decision to withdraw the appointment of an administrator to the mutt.

Prominent Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha seer was arrested amid high drama on September 1, 2022. He is presently lodged in Chitradurga district prison.