CHITRADURGA: A local court will today, September 12, take a call on granting bail to rape-accused seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru of Chitradurga Murugha Mutt in the Lingayat mutt sex scandal case.

Under the POCSO Act and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, two young girls have filed a complaint against the alleged seer and others.

The defence attorney for the accused seer has filed a petition with the Second District and Sessions Court asking for permission to transfer the accused seer to the Jayadeva hospital in Bengaluru for medical treatment. He has said, the alleged seer has a cardiovascular condition and must be transported to Bengaluru for a coronary angiography and other testing.

Sources claim that the accused is spending time at the jail library and keeping a journal. He is consuming food prepared for inmates and is unable to go for a walk in the open space.

He was kept in judicial custody by the court until September 14. The prosecution's decision to admit the accused to the intensive care unit (ICU) right away after his arrest and to start making plans to transfer him to a hospital in Bengaluru without first getting the court's approval was previously criticised by the court. It had given directions to treat him at the local medical facility.

In a related development, the uncle of one of the survivors claimed that the girl had received coaching on how to fabricate evidence against the seer.

A Lingayat seer commits suicide after name comes up in audio clip

Man accuses Lingayat seer Omkara Shivacharya of exploiting his wife

Karnataka: After chief priest Akkamahadevi Rashmi arrested in Murug Math sex scandal