Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru (born 11 April 1958) is an Indian seer and pontiff belonging to the prominent Lingayat community mainly based in the state of Karnataka.
The seer has influenced peers of groups and mainly worked toward the eradication of the evils of the caste system and the removal of inequality and poverty, and helped to find homes for orphan children and elderly people.
[3] In August 2022, two minor high school girls who studied and lived in the Murugha Mutt's hostel in Chitradurga accused the seer of sexual assault and harassment.
In response, the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who hails from the Lingayat community, affirmed that the charges would be investigated.
[5][6] In October 2022, while the seer was still in prison, two more cases of sexual assault on minors were lodged, by the parents of the children, and fresh FIRs were filed under the POCSO act.