[POCSO Case] Madras High Court grants bail to self-styled Godman Siva Shankar Baba

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The Madras High Court recently granted bail to self-proclaimed godman CN Siva Shankaran (commonly known as Siva Sankar Baba) accused under the Protection of Child from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in various child sexual abuse cases.

A bench of Justice G Jayachandran while granting conditional bail directed the accused to submit his passport and co-operate with the investigation.

The bench further instructed the accused not to leave the state without prior information to the investigating officer (IO). It was also directed that the conditions imposed by the Supreme Court shall continue.

Recently, the Supreme Court had granted bail to the accused with the condition that he would not go to the premises of the school from where the sexual harassment complaints had been reported. It had also warned that the bail shall be canceled if the accused tried to persuade the victims.

CN Siva Shankaran is the founder of Sushil Hari International Residential School, Kelambakkam. He has been accused of sexually harassing and misbehaving with the minor girl children studying in his school.

The self-proclaimed godman has been booked for offenses under Section 354,363,365,366 read with Section 17 of the POCSO, 2012.

He had been arrested from Delhi on June 13, 2022, pursuant to three different complaints lodged in All Women Police Station Mamallapuram.

The petitioner was brought over to Chennai and remanded to judicial custody.

Case Title: Sivashankar Baba @ C.N. Sivasankaran v. State