Madras High Court grants conditional bail to Chennai temple priest in rape case

A view of the Madras High Court. Archive photo

The Madras High Court on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, granted conditional bail to Karthick Munusamy, a 45-year-old priest of the famous Kalikambal Temple at Parry’s Corner in Chennai, in a rape case in which he was arrested by the Virugambakkam All Women Police on May 28, 2024.

Judge TV Thamilselvi granted the release on condition that the accused regularly appear before the investigating officer and cooperate with the investigation.

The accusation against the plaintiff was that he had befriended a follower and developed a sexual relationship with her in 2021. According to the plaintiff, he had raped her after spiking a drink and then Thali around her neck so they could live as a married couple. But when she conceived a baby in 2023, he forced her to have an abortion and then forced her to have a sexual relationship with his friend for money.

In her report to the police in May 2024, the victim, a trained engineer and television presenter, had also accused the plaintiff of intimidating her with some of her nude photos. She also claimed to have learned that the defendant had cheated on many other women.