The chargesheet against Bharathi filed by state CID also mentions how local policemen tried to save him from legal actions in earlier instances
Bengaluru : A crack CID team on Friday indicted Ramachandrapura Mutt seer Raghaveshwara Bharathi of raping two women devotees. Bharathi is a guru who has a large following. Soon after the CID indictment, the seer rushed to the High Court seeking stay on the medical test that he is to undergo on the orders of the investigating agency.
According to the CID report, semen stains found on a woman devotee’s clothes. It was this devotee’s daughter who had lodged a complaint that the seer had raped her mother on multiple occasions.
Though the local police deliberately botched up the investigations under pressure from the mutt, the new CID chief, HC Kishore Chandra took up the matter and prepared a detailed 680 page chargesheet against the seer which would be filed in a court on Monday. The chargesheet also covers major lapses on the part of an investigation officer who was in-charge of the case in the past.
After Chandra took over the reins of CID, the relatives of the woman took up the case with him pointing out that the case was being hushed up due to pressure from various lobbies. Chandra ordered fresh investigation into the case and took a look at it himself.
“The chargesheet is ready. It has covered all the mistakes of the previous IO and supervisory officers. It would have been presented to the court on Thursday. Because of the court holiday, it will be presented before the court on the next working day, ” a senior CID officer said on Friday.
The new chargesheet found substance in the allegation of sexual harassment of a 48-year-old singer by Raghaveshwara Bharathi.Investigations have concluded that the seer sexually harassed her. The seer allegedly repeatedly raped a well-known folk singer, who was a devotee of mutt.
In November 2014, the singer’s daughter lodged a complaint of rape with the Banashankari police. Due to the sensitivity of the case, it was transferred to CID when it was headed by Bipin Gopalakrishna whose team hushed up the matter.
The seer was arrested and released by local police last year, as he had already obtained an anticipatory bail in connection with the case. However, the CID has approached the High Court seeking cancellation of bail.
In the second case, the complainant has alleged that Bharathi had handpicked her under the pretext of imparting spiritual and moral education when she studied at the Mutt school in 2006. The same year he allegedly molested her and sexually abused her.
Even after she turned major, the girl was allegedly sexually exploited by the guru till 2012, according to her.
A senior CID officer said that the chargesheet has been prepared against the seer under the IPC Sections 376 (rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (causing hurt), 363 (kidnap) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B.
