Muruga Mutt pontiff faces non-bailable warrant in cheating case

BENGALURU: In more trouble for Muruga Mutt pontiff Dr Shivamurthy Muruga Sharanaru, a city court has issued a non-bailable warrant against him in connection with a cheating case registered in 2010.

The Kengeri police had booked the seer and another person, identified as Anand Kumar, for cheating and criminal breach of trust based on a complaint filed by one, PS Prakash alias Panchi, a devotee of the mutt.

The complainant had alleged that the mutt has properties across the country and also a 7.18 acre land in Sulikere village of Kengeri hobli in Bengaluru south. As president of the mutt, Sharanaru allegedly sold the said land to Anand Kumar fraudulently.

The complainant accused the seer of selling the land to Kumar for Rs 49 lakh while its market value was around Rs 1 crore per acre, causing a loss to the tune of over Rs 7 crore to the mutt.

The police had filed an FIR and submitted a charge sheet to the court. The 4th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court, which is hearing the case, issued a non-bailable warrant against the pontiff and Anand Kumar on Friday, adjourning the hearing till November 10.