Lingayat Mutt sex scandal: Ex-administrator accused of framing seer sent to jail

Chitradurga (Karnataka), Nov 14

A local court in Karnataka's Chitradurga on Monday sent S.K. Basavarajan, the former administrator of the mutt and accused of conspiring against rape-accused seer, to judicial custody till November 28.

First Additional District and Sessions Judge B.K. Komala also ordered judicial custody for another accused, Basavarajendra as the two were produced before the court at the end of their police custody.

Counsel for Basavarajan requested the court to lodge his client in different jail, as the accused seer, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, is also lodged in district prison. However, the judge rejected the plea.

Now, the rape accused seer and the onetime aides-turned-foes are lodged in one jail. Teacher Basavarajendra and ex-administrator Basavarajan were arrested in connection with the case of tutoring minor victims.

This came to light after an audio clip surfaced which contained a conversation between Basavarajendra and a minor girl, in which the latter was purportedly being manipulated to lodge a complaint against the accused seer.

The audio clip also contained tutoring of the minor girl by another person against accused seer.

Subsequently, a complaint was lodged against Basavarajendra and members of NGO Odanadi by in-charge seer of Chitradurga mutt.

The police had taken Basavarajendra into custody and he had given out the role of Basavarajan, according to sources. Basavarajan is also charged with getting the photos of accused seer stolen from the mutt premises.

The Lingayat mutt sex scandal had taken a twist with the development. However, the police has already submitted a charge sheet to the court against the rape accused seer and officially stated that the investigations have proved the charges against him.