Bengaluru: A judge of the High Court of Karnataka, who was part of a division bench hearing a writ appeal filed by Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji of Ramachandrapura mutt, on Tuesday recused himself from the case.

Justice Ram Mohan Reddy, who was hearing the appeal in a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice D.H. Waghela, had heard the arguments during the morning session. He later said: “Though I heard arguments in the morning session, I have some reservations. So, I will not hear this matter. The registry is directed to place it before an appropriate bench in which I am not a member.”

The case will now be posted before another Bench.

The seer, against whom a police complaint has been lodged following allegations of rape /sexual harassment, challenged the order of a single bench permitting the CID to continue with the investigation against him.

In his appeal, the seer had questioned the October 9 verdict of a single judge, which had refused to quash the first information report registered against him.