Constitute a panel to administer Murugha math: SC

• The Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government to constitute a committee to administer the 12th century Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Bruhan Math, Chitradurga.

Key Highlights

• The court directed the State to ensure that neither the petitioner nor the pontiff should have anything to do with the management of the math/institution in question.
• He further submitted that the pontiff was accused of sexually assaulting two minor girls staying in hostels run under the aegis of the math.
• The administrator was appointed as the pontiff- Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru was arrested in September 2022 following cases registered against him under the POCSO Act.

POCSO Act

• It came into effect on 14th November 2012 which was enacted in consequence to India’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992.
• The aim of this special law is to address offences of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, which were either not specifically defined or in adequately penalised.
• The Act defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years.
• The Act provides punishment as per the gravity of offence.
• The Act was further reviewed and amended in 2019 to Introduce more stringent punishment including the death penalty for Committing sexual crimes on children, with a view to deter the perpetrators & prevent such crimes against children.
• The Government of India has also notified the POCSO Rules, 2020.

Prelims Takeaway

• POCSO Act
• Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Bruhan Math, Chitradurga