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:
- Chinnaiah, the primary complainant.
- Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, an activist and founder of the Rashtriya Hindu Jagarana Vedike.
- Girish Mattennavar, a former police officer.
- T Jayanth, a relative of a 1986 death case victim.
- Vittala Gowda, uncle of 2012 rape-murder victim Soujanya.
- 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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