In Rape Case Against Karnataka Seer, Medical Report Contradicts Accusers

A medical report of two teenage girls whose allegations of prolonged sexual abuse and rape had led to the arrest of an influential religious leader in Karnataka in September has not found evidence of penetrative sex, NDTV has learnt.

The Chief Medical Officer of Chitradurga district hospital who conducted the medical examination of the girls who accused Murugha Mutt seer Dr Shivamurthy Sharanaru has concluded that the hymen of the minor girls was intact and that there was "no discharge".

The findings contradict the statements recorded by the two girls who said they were repeatedly sexually abused over three years at the ashram in Chitradurga.

This medical examination was conducted two days after a police case was registered at the Mysuru police station on August 26. In October, four more girls had made similar accusations against the seer, but the details of their medical tests have not been disclosed yet.

The seer was arrested amid mounting pressure from civil society over the first case on September 1 and has been in judicial custody in Chitradurga district jail since then.

The medical record of the first two accusers accessed by NDTV said, "As per the history given by the victims, there has been no injuries indicating repeat sexual assault. Hymen intact, no discharges"

However, the examination of the sexual assault report also concluded that "the final report depends upon FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report". The FSL report is still awaited and is under examination at the Hubballi FSL lab.

Speaking to NDTV, Srinivasa DC, the lawyer for the girls who have accused Dr Sharanaru, said the findings of the medical report would not affect their case.

"According to the Supreme Court, the evidence of the victim should be beyond suspicion and worth believing, and only on the basis of the statement of the victim, under circumstances relying solely on the statement of the victim, the medical report becomes secondary or ignored and conviction can be imposed," he said.