POCSO case: Murugha mutt seer walks out of jail
Chitradurga (PTI): Shivamurthy Sharana, the pontiff of the Chitradurga Murugharajendra Bruhan mutt who has been in custody since September last year facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, was released from the jail here on Thursday.
The High Court of Karnataka granted him bail on November 8. The Second Additional District & Sessions Court in this district headquarters town on Wednesday issued an order directing the district prison authorities to release the Seer, after examining the conditions imposed by the HC and verifying the documents.
But, as the copy of the order did not reach the officials concerned in time, the seer could not be set free on Wednesday, officials said. He will be shifted out of Chitradurga, as per the bail conditions, they said.
According to reports, he is likely to stay at the Math's Davangere branch. The High Court has imposed several conditions for the bail in one of the two POCSO cases against the pontiff.
Shivamurhty will not be allowed to enter Chitradurga district till the completion of the investigation in the cases.
He has been granted bail on a personal bond of Rs two lakh and two sureties for similar amounts, and warned not to tamper with evidence or influence the witnesses.
The High Court has also said that the seer should not misuse the bail and if he breaches any of the conditions, it would automatically stand cancelled.
The High Court on October 13 granted bail to accused number three Paramashivaiah, in the first POCSO case against the pontiff and others.
The complaint against the pontiff and four others was filed by Mysuru-based NGO, 'Odanadi Seva Samsthe', alleging sexual harassment of minor students studying in the math's school and those staying in its hostel.
The Nazarabad police in Mysuru had registered a case under POCSO and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The case was transferred to the Chitradurga Rural police station subsequently.
The accused were arrested and have been in judicial custody since then. A second case was registered after two more students filed a complaint.
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Sathankulam custodial deaths: Nine police personnel sentenced to death by court
Madurai (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): In a landmark judgment, a court here on Monday handed the death penalty to nine police personnel in the sensational 2020 Sathankulam custodial death case.
Father-son duo P Jayaraj and J Bennix were allegedly assaulted by the convicted policemen in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district, for allegedly keeping their mobile shop open in violation of COVID-19 norms.
First Additional District and Sessions Judge G Muthukumaran classified the case as the rarest of rare, observing that those entrusted with protecting the public had committed a crime that shook the collective conscience of society.
The court sentenced all nine convicted police personnel to death for the murders of Jayaraj and Bennix.
The convicts include former inspector S Sridhar, former sub-inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, and head constables Murugan and Saamidurai.
In addition to the capital punishment, the court imposed a combined fine of Rs 1.40 crore on the convicts to be paid as compensation to the victims' family.
While pronouncing the quantum of sentence, the judge said the police are meant to protect the common man, and when they become the perpetrators of such brutality, the law must act as a deterrent.
It also noted that by killing both the father and the son at once, the police had uprooted the very foundation of a family.
The judge stressed that the punishment must be severe enough to ensure such horrors never recur.
The tragedy dates back to June 2020, when Jayaraj and Bennix were picked up for allegedly keeping their mobile phone shop open beyond permitted hours. They were subjected to extreme physical assault while in custody, leading to their deaths at a hospital days later.
Following a massive public outcry, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court took notice of the case, which was eventually investigated by the CBI.
A total of 105 witnesses were examined over a five-year period. Of the initial 10 accused, special sub inspector Pauldurai died during the trial due to health complications.
