Madras High Court Grants Bail to Temple Priest Accused of Rape, Coercion, And Threatening Devotee

The Madras High Court granted conditional bail on Tuesday to a temple priest accused of multiple serious offences against a woman devotee. The bench of Justice TV Thamilselvi allowed the bail on the condition that the accused must regularly report to the investigating officer and fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

Karthick Munusamy, the temple priest of Kalikampal temple, is accused of raping and threatening to kill the devotee.

According to the woman’s complaint filed with the additional commissioner of police, Chennai North, Munusamy abused his position as the temple guru to earn her trust.

As per the complaint, one day, under the pretext of dropping the woman devotee home, Munusamy invited himself inside and made her drink a liquid, claiming it was temple teertham. After consuming the drink, the woman lost consciousness and was sexually harassed. Upon regaining consciousness and confronting him, Munusamy allegedly made a commitment to her that he would protect her.

The woman further claimed that Munusamy kept obscene images of her and other girls on his phone and harassed her when confronted.

The case against Munusamy was registered under sections 417, 354A, 294(b), 312, and 506(i) of the IPC, as well as section 67A of the IT Act, leading to his arrest.

Apart from the allegation of rape, the woman alleged that when she became pregnant as a result of rape, Munusamy coerced her into having an abortion, claiming it was not the right time to have a child. He made her believe that it would endanger her life.

Fearful of social stigma and without family support, the woman initially remained silent, she stated.

Furthermore, the woman accused Munusamy of forcing her to engage with VIPs and subjecting her to physical and mental harassment when she refused.

Allegedly, when the woman got to know about Munusamy’s wife, she confronted her about Munusamy’s conduct. However, instead of receiving support, she was threatened by Munusamy’s wife. It was also claimed that the woman reported the incidents to another temple guru but received no assistance and was advised against contacting the police.

The woman also filed a petition to transfer the case from the All Women Police Station in Virugambakkam to the CBCID.