Murugha math seer arrest: Police given free hand, investigation in accordance with law, says Bommai
Mangaluru, Sep 2: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said police have been given a free hand to investigate the sexual abuse case against chief pontiff of Murugha Math Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, in accordance with law.
He did not wish to comment on allegations regarding the "delay" in the arrest of the seer.
"There is no need to respond to all these talks. I have already said that everything will happen in accordance with law. It is not right to comment on the case at the present situation," Bommai said in response to a question on delay in the seer's arrest.
Speaking to reporters here, he said police have been given a free hand and they are at work.
The seer was arrested by police on Thursday night, six days after the case of alleged sexual harassment of two minor girls staying in a hostel run by the Math was filed under the POCSO Act against him.
Sharanaru was produced during the early hours of Friday before the first additional district and sessions judge, who remanded him to 14 days' judicial custody.
Earlier this morning, the 64-year-old seer was taken to the district hospital, after he complained of some health complications in jail, police sources said.
The Mysuru city police had last week filed an FIR against the seer under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and certain sections of the Indian Penal Code for the alleged sexual abuse.
The FIR was registered against a total of five people, including the warden of the prominent Lingayat Math's hostel, based on the complaint by an officer of the District Child Protection Unit.
Two high-school girls had approached a non-governmental organisation in Mysuru and narrated the alleged abuse, following which it approached the authorities and the case was registered by the police.
The case was subsequently shifted to Chitradurga, as it was the place of occurrence of the alleged crime.
The seer, who wields considerable influence in the community, was booked under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as well, as one of the victims belongs to the SC community.
The seer had earlier claimed the allegations against him were part of a long-drawn conspiracy and that he was law-abiding and would cooperate in the probe.
There have been protests demanding Sharanaru's arrest.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
