Karnataka govt appoints retired IAS officer as Murugha Mutt administrator

BENGALURU: Three months after Murugha Mutt seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru was arrested in a POCSO case, the state government on Tuesday appointed retired IAS officer P S Vastrad as its administrative officer.

The new administrative officer will oversee the running of the mutt trust and the educational institutions run by it. He will also be responsible for the trust accounts, movable and immovable properties. The notification regarding the appointment was issued by T C Kantharaj, Under-secretary in the Revenue Department.

Murugha Mutt seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru.

The seer is currently under judicial custody after two FIRs under the POCSO Act and one FIR under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act were filed against him after some minor girls made allegations of sexual harassment against him. According to the FIR, the girls were abused for over two years.