Ten Things To Know About The POCSO Cases Against Godman Siva Sankar Baba

POCSO Cases Against Siva Sankar Baba: Self-proclaimed godman Siva Sankar Baba has been charged with three more cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The charges were levied by the Crime Bureau Criminal Investigation Department CB-CID after the survivors, who are former students of Baba filed an official complaint against him. This takes the total number of POCSO cases against the godman to eight.

Siva Sankar Baba founded the Sushil Hari International Residential School in Kelambakkam, near Chennai in Tamil Nadu and claims himself to be a godman. He stands accused of sexually abusing eight students, who were all minors at the time of the incidents. There is also a harassment case registered against him, filed by a woman.

He was arrested by the police in Delhi after these cases against him came to light and later was admitted to Chengalpattu Government Hospital initially and then moved to Stanley Government Hospital in Chennai after complaining of chest pain. Along with him, an alumnus, Sushmitha was also arrested for convincing the students to go to Baba's bungalow, where the abuse allegedly took place.

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Here are ten things to know about the sexual assault and harassment cases registered against the self-proclaimed Baba: 

1. In June this year, three First Information Reports were filed against him at the All-Women's Police Station in Mamallapuram. These were the first set of complaints.

2. Afterwards the CB-CID had received a tip that the 72-year-old was at a hospital in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and was undergoing angioplasty. But later he was traced to Delhi and arrested there.

3. He was charged with sections under POCSO Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). For the first 15 days, he was kept in custody.

4. An alumnus of the school while speaking with The News Minute has detailed her traumatic experience, saying that the Baba allegedly made her watch porn on her birthday and forced her to consume alcohol. He allegedly asked her to have sex with him so that she does not have sexual thoughts for other boys.

5. On June 18 this year, the same day as Baba was admitted to hospital, an alumnus of the school, Sushmitha was arrested for allegedly convincing students to go to Baba's bungalow.

6. The sexual assaults of almost all the girls and the woman used to take place at the bungalow that he owned.

7. On August 3, Siva Sankar Baba filed a plea at the Madras High Court seeking bail. He alleged that he was not connected to the school and just visited it to "deliver spiritual lectures."

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8. In November, another POCSO case was registered against the godman and the survivor was an alumnus of the school, run by him. The survivor made an online complaint. By then, he had three POCSO cases and had gotten bail for two.

9. On December 8, a judge had extended Baba's judicial custody till December 22.

10. The three women who were arrested for helping the godman with the sexual assaults were also asked to be present during the next hearing date.

Feature Image Credit: The News Minute