The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has informed the Beltangady court that the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case was a fabricated conspiracy orchestrated by anti-Dharmasthala activists. The findings were submitted in a preliminary report, in which the SIT stated that Dharmasthala authorities have received a clean chit based on the evidence examined so far.

The SIT has sought additional time to complete the investigation and file its final report.

Six Accused Named In The Case

The SIT’s preliminary report names six accused individuals:

• A1: Chinnayya
• Mahesh Shetty Thimarody
• Girish Mattennavar
• Jayanth
• Vitthal Gowda
• Sujatha Bhatt

Investigators stated that A1, Chinnayya, was allegedly paid, pressured, and coached to make false statements. The SIT said a false narrative of “mass burials” was constructed to target Dharmasthala, with the accused allegedly procuring a skull, staging evidence, and recording coached video statements to support the claim.

Conspiracy Meetings, Evidence Trails Recovered

According to the SIT, conspiracy meetings were held at the residence of accused Mahesh Shetty Thimarody. Investigators reported recovering video clips, bank transaction trails, electronic data, and witness statements – All of which, the SIT said, support the conclusion that the mass burial allegations were fabricated and part of a coordinated conspiracy.

SIT Seeks Permission To Arrest Five Accused

The SIT has sought the court’s permission to arrest five of the accused. If approval is granted, arrests are expected to take place immediately. The agency is preparing for custodial interrogation ahead of submitting its final report.

TNM Propaganda Shattered To Bits

The leftist “news portal” The News Minute finds its propaganda completely shattered to bits and has not yet apologised to the public or to the institution for carrying reports that was based entirely out of lies. TNM manufactured and amplified the “mass burial” lies and it stands exposed as a politically motivated smear against a revered Hindu institution. TNM published over two dozen reports this year, aggressively platforming an unverified “masked man” whose sensational claims were treated as gospel while basic journalistic scrutiny was abandoned.

Their videos, ‘ground’ reports, and podcasts framed speculation as fact, linked unrelated past tragedies to imply a pattern, and repeatedly undermined official explanations from the Panchayat. Reporters presented routine procedures for unclaimed bodies as sinister, avoided questioning the logistical impossibility of the allegations, and cast every legal restraint as evidence of a cover-up.

TNM’s coverage functioned less as reporting and more as ideological propaganda aimed at tarnishing a sacred Hindu institution. The facts have now buried the fiction.

Source: India Today

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The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government tabled the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, in the state assembly on 8 December 2025, sparking immediate and intense controversy. While the government presented the legislation as a necessary framework to uphold “dignity,” “equality,” and “protection for all communities,” a detailed examination of the text has led to forceful accusations from critics and legal experts that the Bill is a precision-crafted instrument designed to suppress Hindu speech, festivals, and dissent under the guise of maintaining harmony.

The proposed law introduces broad and subjective definitions, unprecedented criminal liabilities for online activity, and sweeping powers for authorities, creating what opponents are calling a “digital weapon of mass destruction” aimed at the majority community.

A Sweeping Definition Of “Harm” That Criminalises Hindu Speech By Default

The Bill defines harm to include emotional, psychological, social or economic injury. This definition is deliberately vague and allows almost any Hindu assertion – religious, cultural or political to be reframed as an offence.

Hindu views on proselytisation, communal violence, doctrinal exclusivity or religious supremacism are already routinely labelled “hate-filled” or “majoritarian” in public discourse. With the Bill in place, these labels acquire criminal force. A Hindu questioning conversions could be accused of causing “emotional harm”. A Hindu highlighting violent patterns could be said to have inflicted “psychological harm”. A Hindu critiquing exclusivist creeds could be blamed for “social harm”.

The Karnataka government seems to have revived the same vague standards that led the Supreme Court to strike down Section 66A, but in an even more expansive form.

This could also lead to cross-state FIRs becoming a routine. As one scenario illustrates, a person in Delhi commenting on Islam or Christianity even within documented textual descriptions could face an FIR in Karnataka if any individual in the state claims emotional or psychological injury.

Let us take the example of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, whose life was upended after allegations of hurt sentiments – that case is a preview of how such provisions may operate in practice.

Criminalising Forwarding, Sharing And Even Unintentional Involvement

A key point of alarm is the Bill’s criminalisation of “unknowing assistance”. The term converts everyday digital behaviour into a legal minefield.

Under this clause, forwarding a WhatsApp message, sharing a news article, retweeting satire or circulating commentary could become an offence if someone alleges emotional or psychological harm. Intention becomes irrelevant; facts become irrelevant; context becomes irrelevant.

If one analyses FIR patterns, one can notice that online speech cases in recent years have largely targeted Hindus questioning conversion activities, radicalisation, demographic aggression or violent street mobilisation. Now this new Bill makes this process significantly easier and faster.

The provision seems to be creating a “digital weapon of mass prosecution aimed at the majority”.

A Mechanism That Allows Volatile Groups To Veto Hindu Festivals And Gatherings

The Bill grants District Magistrates sweeping authority to restrict gatherings, processions, loudspeakers and public events if any community raises “apprehension”. This clause seemingly hands disproportionate power to groups that threaten unrest.

One can observe the recurring tensions around Ramanavmi, Hanuman Jayanti and Ganesh processions. Under the new framework, instead of controlling those who threaten violence, authorities may simply cancel the Hindu procession.

Hence, the more volatile a group becomes, the more administrative power it gains; the more peaceful a Hindu festival is, the more vulnerable it becomes to cancellation. This is a statutory codification of Congress’ long-standing model of “peace” – a model that relies on silencing Hindus to avoid upsetting specific vote banks.

Exemption For Proselytisation – The Bill’s ‘Most Revealing’ Clause

Observers highlight a specific exemption protecting “bona fide interpretation and espousing of religious tenets”, explicitly including proselytisation. This is the single most telling provision in the Bill.

At a time when aggressive conversion campaigns in rural Karnataka have been linked to inducement, deceit and foreign-funded networks, the government has chosen not only to ignore these issues but to provide missionary activities a legal shield.

The exemption itself is proof that proselytisation generates emotional and social distress and that instead of addressing that distress, the Bill criminalises Hindu resistance to it.

This provision can be seen as giving a free hand to run conversion rackets without fear of consequence.

Immunity For Officials, Liability For Citizens

The Bill gives sweeping immunity to government officials for actions taken “in good faith”. Combined with vague definitions of harm, this creates total asymmetry: the state acts without accountability while the citizen faces limitless criminal exposure.

A police officer can book a Hindu social media user for satire or commentary without fear of consequences; an officer can restrict a Hindu procession citing “apprehension” from another community and remain protected.

This structure can be seen as producing fear-based governance, not law and order.

The Bill Will Likely Fail Any Serious Legal Test

Legal scholars opposing the Bill argue that it violates established constitutional principles. They point out that restrictions on speech must be narrowly defined, emotional or psychological harm is not grounds for restriction under Article 19(2), there must be a direct link to incitement of violence.

Critics warn of a severe chilling effect, arguing that fear of criminal complaints will push Hindus into silence long before any court evaluates the legality of the provisions.

The Bill seems to be designed less to secure convictions and more to cultivate hesitation, to make Hindus second-guess criticism of conversions, extremism or policy decisions.

Part Of A Long Ideological Pattern?

The Bill can be framed as a continuation of Congress’ historical approach to regulating speech. One can look at Nehru’s First Amendment restricting free expression, Indira Gandhi’s Emergency suppressing civil liberties, the UPA’s Section 66A disproportionately used against Hindu social media users.

Communities which riot over perceived slights are already empowered, while communities that do not resort to violence, primarily Hindus, become easier to silence.

A Potential Model For Other Congress-Influenced States?

Critics warn that if Karnataka implements this framework successfully, similar legislation may appear in other states where Hindu festivals face routine restrictions, including Tamil Nadu.

They argue that Congress has realised it can influence national discourse without controlling national law; a state-level sentiment-based policing model can deter Hindu speech across India.

The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025 has been presented by the state government as a mechanism to promote “harmony”. However, it only comes across as a legal architecture that empowers those who threaten unrest, protects proselytisation, and converts subjective emotional discomfort into criminal liability. The Bill seems to institutionalise a hierarchy in which the state and certain communities gain sweeping protection, while Hindu speech, Hindu festivals and Hindu digital expression remain permanently exposed.

Overall, the Bill does not target hate, it targets the Hindu citizen, precisely because the Hindu community does not riot over cartoons or threaten violence over disagreement and therefore becomes the easiest constituency for the state to police.

Source: OpIndia

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In a significant development, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Dharmasthala case has filed a comprehensive 3,900-page chargesheet against six individuals, including the original complainant, for allegedly fabricating evidence and forging documents to support false claims of multiple burials.

The chargesheet was presented before the Additional Civil Judge and JMFC CH Vijayendra in Belthangady court, Dakshina Kannada, on Thursday. The accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Accused and the Charges

Those named in the chargesheet are:

1. Chinnaiah, the primary complainant.
2. Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, an activist and founder of the Rashtriya Hindu Jagarana Vedike.
3. Girish Mattennavar, a former police officer.
4. T Jayanth, a relative of a 1986 death case victim.
5. Vittala Gowda, uncle of 2012 rape-murder victim Soujanya.
6. Sujatha Bhat, who filed a separate false complaint.

The SIT has invoked a range of sections including 227 (giving false evidence), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 229, 230 (fabricating false evidence for capital offence), 231 (for life imprisonment offence), 233 (using evidence known to be false), 236 (false statement in declaration), 240 (giving false information on an offence), 248 (false charge to injure), and 336 (forgery) of the BNS.

How The Case Unravelled 

The case originated when Chinnaiah filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which the Supreme Court rejected on 5 May 2025, seeking an investigation into the ‘burial of many bodies’ in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014. Undeterred, he later filed a police complaint with the same allegations.

A critical turn came when Chinnaiah gave a voluntary statement before a magistrate under Section 183 of the BNSS and produced a skull, claiming it belonged to a woman. However, the SIT’s forensic investigation debunked this claim, revealing the skull was that of a 32-year-old man.

Following this, the SIT arrested Chinnaiah for perjury on August 23. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to giving a false complaint and voluntary statement under pressure from Mahesh Shetty Thimarody and other activists.

The Conspiracy and New Revelations

According to the SIT, Chinnaiah revealed that the skull was given to him by Vittala Gowda and his brother. He subsequently gave a second voluntary statement to the court, recanting his earlier claims.

The SIT, in a writ petition filed in the High Court, stated that Chinnaiah’s revelations pointed to the complicity of the activists, with one of them even being allegedly involved in a separate murder.

The chargesheet also details the role of Sujatha Bhat, who admitted to filing a false police complaint about her MBBS-studying daughter going missing from Dharmasthala. She told the SIT she acted under pressure from Thimarody and four other activists.

Obstruction and Further Evidence

SIT officials informed the court that some of the accused individuals obstructed the inquiry when summoned. The investigation included searches at 17 locations and the collection of statements from those in contact with Chinnaiah, pointing to a wider conspiracy.

The SIT’s report traces the journey of the skull, alleging that Vittala Gowda retrieved it from Bangalagudda in February 2024 and recorded the act on video, which was then passed to Mattennavar.

In follow-up excavations at Bangalagudda hill, the SIT recovered eight more skulls and additional skeletal remains, which have been sent for forensic examination. The team also found identification cards belonging to two individuals from Kodagu and Tumakuru at the site.

The SIT has stated that a supplementary chargesheet will be filed after receiving pending scientific reports from the Forensic Science Laboratory and other related documents. The court is now set to examine the voluminous chargesheet and take cognizance of the offences.

(Source: The Hindu)

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The post SIT Files 3,900-Page Chargesheet Against ‘Mask Man’ Chinnaiah, Mahesh Thimarody, Girish Mattennavar, Sujatha Bhat & Others In Dharmasthala Case appeared first on The Commune.

In a stunning rebuke to the Congress-led Karnataka government, the state’s High Court has delivered a powerful defense of fundamental rights, exposing the glaring contradiction between the party’s public posturing and its authoritarian actions. While Rahul Gandhi theatrically carries a copy of the Constitution in his pocket during political campaigns, his own government in Karnataka has been caught systematically violating that very document.

The court, headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna, didn’t merely stay the government’s controversial order requiring prior permission for public gatherings – it delivered a lesson on the constitution that should embarrass the Congress leadership. The bench explicitly stated that the government’s order violates Article 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, which guarantee freedom of speech and expression and the right to assemble peacefully.

The Anatomy of a Constitutional Violation

What makes the Karnataka government’s action particularly egregious is the court’s clear explanation: under Article 13(2), fundamental rights can only be restricted by a law passed by the legislature, not through a simple Government Order. This basic constitutional principle seems to have escaped the Congress government, which attempted to bypass legislative process and impose restrictions through executive fiat.

The court’s reasoning was unequivocal: If it violates Fundamental Rights, it becomes invalid for all, not just a few. This exposes the government’s desperate attempt to limit the stay’s application only to the petitioner as constitutionally illiterate.

The Political Agenda Behind the Constitutional Violation

The timing and context of this order reveal its true nature. The controversial directive emerged shortly after Minister Priyank Kharge wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging a ban on RSS activities in public spaces. This wasn’t about public safety or maintaining order – it was a blatant political move disguised as administrative action.

The court saw through this charade. By extending the interim stay to everyone, not just the petitioner, the judiciary prevented the government from selectively targeting organizations while claiming the order was neutral. The bench’s refusal to play along with the government’s request to confine the stay reveals how transparent the political motivation behind this order was.

Rahul Gandhi’s Constitutional Hypocrisy

The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. Rahul Gandhi, who has made the Constitution his favorite political prop, whose social media team meticulously documents every occasion he’s seen holding the sacred document, presides over a party that doesn’t seem to understand its most basic provisions.

While Gandhi travels the country posing as the Constitution’s defender, his government in Karnataka was busy trampling on the very fundamental rights the document exists to protect. The court’s intervention raises an uncomfortable question: has Rahul Gandhi ever actually read the Constitution he so ostentatiously carries?

The High Court’s ruling exposes the Congress party’s constitutional commitment as selective and politically convenient. They’ll invoke the Constitution when it serves their political narrative but won’t hesitate to violate it when it suits their agenda of targeting ideological opponents.

The Bigger Pattern

This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of a pattern where the Congress, while positioning itself as a defender of democratic values, repeatedly demonstrates authoritarian tendencies when in power. The Karnataka episode reveals a party that understands the Constitution’s symbolic value but fails to grasp – or willfully ignores – its substantive protections.

As the matter heads for further hearing on 15 December 2025, with the interim stay continuing, the Karnataka High Court has done more than just check executive overreach. It has exposed the hollow nature of the Congress’s constitutional piety and given the nation a crucial reminder: carrying the Constitution matters far less than understanding and respecting it.

(Source: The News Minute)

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A video of a group of men offering namaz just outside the entrance gate to Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has sparked a debate, putting a spotlight on the Karnataka government’s own guidelines for religious activities in public spaces.

The incident, which occurred near Gate 3 in the terminal’s drop-off area, shows the prayer proceeding with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel stationed nearby. The visual quickly went viral on social media, drawing public attention to the use of a high-security airport zone for a religious gathering.

How is this even allowed inside the T2 Terminal of Bengaluru International Airport?
Hon’ble Chief Minister @siddaramaiah and Minister @PriyankKharge do you approve of this?

Did these individuals obtain prior permission to offer Namaz in a high-security airport zone?
Why is it… pic.twitter.com/iwWK2rYWZa

— Vijay Prasad (@vijayrpbjp) November 9, 2025

Sources at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) confirmed the authenticity of the video but clarified that the prayers were offered outside the main terminal gate, in a public access area. They also pointed out that the airport already has a multi-faith prayer room inside the terminal, accessible to passengers of all religions. BIAL has so far declined to issue an official comment.

An officer from the KIA Police Station stated that no formal complaint had been received regarding the incident and added that the location technically does not fall under their direct jurisdiction.

A Question of Rules and Consistency

Priyank Kharge had formally urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to impose a ban on all activities conducted by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in government institutions and public premises across the state. In a letter dated 4 October 2025, Kharge contended that such activities go against India’s unity and the constitutional spirit.

Calling for firm government action, Kharge urged that a ban be imposed on all RSS activities, whether under the name of ‘shakha’, ‘sanghik’, or ‘baithak’. He specified that the ban should cover government schools, government-aided schools, public playgrounds, parks, temples under the Muzrai Department, sites under the Archaeology Department, and all other government premises.

The namaz incident has reignited discussion on the state’s own rules for public gatherings – rules which Minister Priyank Kharge himself had recently cited in a separate context. Kharge had emphasized that government guidelines require prior permission for any religious activity or gathering held on public or government property.

However, applying that same logic to the current incident raises several questions:

How did a group of people manage to perform prayers in a restricted airport security zone? Did they have clearance from authorities?

Why were security personnel, tasked with maintaining protocol, merely bystanders during the act?

If the rule of prior permission applies universally, does it extend equally to all religious practices in public or sensitive spaces?

Minister Kharge had earlier said, “Airports already have prayer rooms for all religions. If someone wants to pray, they can do it there.” His own statement exposes the irony of the current situation: when designated spaces already exist, what justifies performing prayers in active public areas, especially under the watch of central security forces?

(Source: Indian Express)

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In yet another shocking indictment of the Congress government’s crumbling law and order in Karnataka, a viral video from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison has exposed how dreaded criminals — including an ISIS operative and a convicted serial rapist — enjoy VIP treatment behind bars.

The footage shows inmates casually using mobile phones, sipping tea, and chatting freely — as if in a café, not a high-security prison. Among them are Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna, an alleged ISIS recruiter who radicalised youth to join terror modules in Syria, and Umesh Reddy, a convicted serial rapist and murderer whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

That such hardened criminals could access mobile phones inside a top-security prison is not just a breach — it’s a collapse of governance. It raises an uncomfortable question: under the Congress rule, have Karnataka’s prisons turned into safe havens for terrorists and sexual predators?

The state home department has now ordered a probe, but the damage is done. The video has once again laid bare how under the Congress regime, even convicts linked to terrorism and brutal crimes enjoy impunity, while the system looks the other way.

Source: Hindustan Times

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Image Source: PublicTV

Bengaluru witnessed tension earlier this week after a man allegedly vandalised the Venugopalaswamy Temple in Devara Beesanahalli. The incident took place around 8:30 AM on 28 October 2025, when the accused, identified as Kabir, reportedly entered the temple’s sanctum sanctorum wearing slippers and desecrated the idols.

According to preliminary police information, Kabir, who runs a shoe-stitching shop in the area, first struck a photo of Lord Ganesha displayed in front of a nearby medical shop with a stick. When confronted by locals, he allegedly ran toward the Venugopalaswamy Temple, shouting religious slogans. Witnesses said he hurled a stone at the temple’s Garuda Gamba before entering the sanctum, dragging the idol of the deity, and kicking it with his slippers while holding an oil-like substance in his hand.

The act triggered outrage among locals and temple staff, who caught Kabir, tied him to a pole, and assaulted him before handing him over to the Marathahalli police. Officers later visited the site and conducted an inspection. Items allegedly used in the incident including a bottle, slippers, and stones were seized from the spot.

Police officials said Kabir is currently receiving treatment at a private hospital under custody and will be interrogated after discharge. Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused may be of Bangladeshi origin and is suspected to have entered Bengaluru illegally.

The Marathahalli police have registered a case and are conducting further investigation into the motive and background of the accused.

(Source: PublicTV)

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The Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT) has stayed the suspension of Praveen Kumar K.P., a Panchayat Development Officer from Raichur district, who was earlier suspended for participating in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) centenary event. The case had sparked a political confrontation between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP.

Kumar, posted in Sirwar taluk, attended an RSS route march in Lingsugur on 12 October 2025 wearing the organisation’s uniform and carrying a stick. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department suspended him on grounds of violating Rule 3 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021, which mandates political neutrality and conduct consistent with public service.

The suspension order, issued by IAS officer Arundhati Chandrashekar, described his participation as “inconsistent with the standards expected of a public servant.” Kumar was placed under suspension with subsistence allowance pending inquiry.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya criticised the suspension, calling it “illegal and unlawful.” He stated on social media that he had spoken to the officer and would “personally appear before the concerned tribunal and courts to challenge” the decision, citing previous court rulings upholding government servants’ right to participate in RSS programmes.

I have spoken to the officer suspended for taking part in RSS Pathsanchalan by the State Government.

Assured him that I will personally appear before the concerned tribunal and courts to challenge this illegal and unlawful suspension.

There are multiple judgements from across… pic.twitter.com/mQF8cKLLZm

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 18, 2025

On 30 October 2025, Surya confirmed that the KSAT had stayed the suspension. In a post on X, he wrote, “My law office had challenged the arbitrary suspension of PDO Praveen Kumar for participating in the RSS Pathasanchalana in Lingasugur, Raichur, before the Hon’ble Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal. KSAT has today stayed the suspension order which was mechanically passed due to political pressure. This should serve as a lesson to the Congress Govt that no amount of intimidation can deter the nation-building ideals of RSS.”

My law office had challenged the arbitrary suspension of PDO Praveen Kumar for participating in the RSS Pathasanchalana in Lingasugur, Raichur, before the Hon’ble Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal.

KSAT has today stayed the suspension order which was mechanically passed… https://t.co/uCaXnbTwlQ

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 30, 2025

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Image Source: Organiser

Several teachers and non-teaching staff from a government school in Karnataka’s Bidar district have been issued show-cause notices for allegedly participating in a march organized by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent organization of the BJP. Their participation is being viewed as a violation of service rules that prohibit government employees from taking part in political or religious activities.

THE UNDECLARED EMERGENCY?
Four Karnataka government teachers served notice for participating in RSS Path Sanchalan. The action follows a complaint filed by Dalit Sena leaders on October 27, demanding disciplinary measures against the teachers. pic.twitter.com/fz8QPlTvEj

— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) October 30, 2025

The Block Education Officer (BEO) of Aurad in Bidar issued the notices to those who took part in RSS Path Sanchalans (route marches) held on October 7 and 13. The move came after complaints were filed by the Dalit Sena Taluk Unit of Aurad and the Bahujan Seva Samiti, accompanied by videos and photographs showing the staff’s participation in the event.

According to the BEO’s notice, the involvement of government staff in the RSS march constitutes a breach of service regulations. The employees have been asked to submit written explanations and appear in person before the officer. The notice further warns that failure to respond could lead to unilateral disciplinary action under the Karnataka Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1957. A departmental investigation is currently underway.

Earlier in October 2025, the Karnataka Congress government suspended two state employees for participating in RSS events, citing violations of service conduct rules mandating political neutrality. Praveen Kumar K.P., a Panchayat Development Officer from Raichur, was suspended on 12 October 2025 after attending an RSS centenary march in uniform. Days later, Pramod Kumar, an assistant cook at a government-run hostel in Bidar, was suspended following a complaint and video evidence of his participation in an RSS rally.

The suspension order stated that their conduct violated Rule 3 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 2021, which requires government employees to maintain political neutrality, integrity, and conduct appropriate to their position. However, the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal has since granted an interim stay on his suspension.

(Source: NDTV)

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In a development that could significantly alter the course of the Dharmasthala mass burial case, the very activists who initiated the complaint have approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered based on their own allegations.

The petitioners—Girish Mattennavar, Mahesh Shetty (Thimmarodi), and Jayant T—have requested the court to nullify FIR No. 39/2025, which was filed under Section 211(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, at the Dharmastala Police Station. The case involves sensational allegations of mass burials, including the bodies of many women, in forested areas around the renowned temple town.

A Plea to Nullify the Case

The writ petition, filed through advocates, represents a stark reversal from the petitioners’ original position. In their plea, they have urged the High Court to:

• Quash the primary FIR and all subsequent notices issued by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), including a specific notice dated October 24, 2025.
• Stay all further proceedings in the case.
• Nullify the “anti-Dharmasthala conspiracy case” and a separate forgery case registered against the key initial complainant, a masked man named Chinnayya.

Notably, the police had earlier consolidated the allegations of unnatural deaths (the mass burials) and the counter-allegations of a criminal conspiracy into a single FIR.

Furthermore, the petitioners have also challenged the notices issued by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the case, summoning them for questioning. They have requested the court to cancel these notices.

Shifting Stance on SIT Investigation

The petitioners’ stance on the SIT has undergone a notable shift. In their initial statements, they had expressed appreciation for the formation of the SIT and had even insisted that a special team investigate their claims. They had reportedly demanded that officer Pranav Mohanty be appointed as the head of the SIT.

However, in their current High Court petition, the individuals have expressed dissatisfaction with the SIT’s investigation. Critics of the petitioners allege that this is an “indirect petition to stop the SIT investigation” now that the probe is reaching its conclusion and they fear arrest.

The Dharmasthala conspiracy has now crossed all limits. Girish Mattennanavar and another individual, who had earlier made allegations against Dharmasthala and were part of this conspiracy, have now filed a petition before the High Court seeking to quash the FIR that was…

— Girish Bharadwaj (@Girishvhp) October 30, 2025

Context of the Original Complaint

The controversy began when Chinnayya submitted a complaint to the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police, making the grave allegations. He was later arrested on charges of perjury, with police alleging he fabricated his claims. The petitioners, who were associated with the complaint, were subsequently questioned multiple times by the SIT, which has logged over 100 hours of interrogation.

The petitioners’ move comes at a critical juncture in the SIT’s investigation. Sources within the investigation team indicate that the probe has uncovered several inconsistencies in the initial claims made by the complainants. Investigators have also flagged what they describe as a campaign of “widespread misinformation” surrounding the case.

In their petition, the activists have argued that quashing the case is essential to serve the “ends of law and justice.” This marks a dramatic shift from their initial stance, where they had welcomed the formation of the SIT and demanded a thorough investigation.

The High Court’s decision on this petition is now highly anticipated, as it will determine whether the high-profile investigation, which has attracted significant public and media attention, will continue or be brought to an abrupt halt.

(Source: Kannada Asianet News & India Today)

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