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.

The Dharmasthala mass burial case in Karnataka took a surprising turn on 23 August 2025 when the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Chinnaiah, the main complainant and witness, due to inconsistencies in his testimony and documentation during interrogation.

Chinnaiah, who had previously concealed his identity and was dubbed the “masked man,” had sought protection as a witness in the alleged criminal acts. Confirming the arrest, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara told reporters that while the investigation is ongoing, further details would be shared by the SIT in due time.

Another major development came when a woman named Sujata Bhat, who had earlier claimed her daughter Ananya Bhat reportedly an MBBS student had gone missing from Dharmasthala, later retracted her statement. She initially denied ever having a daughter and claimed she was misled into filing a false complaint. She has since reversed that retraction, creating further confusion around the case.

During interrogation, Chinnaiah reportedly confessed that he had fabricated his entire account. He claimed to be from a Scheduled Caste community and admitted to being manipulated by a group of individuals who allegedly used him to stir controversy. He described himself as a mere pawn in a larger scheme orchestrated by others who have remained unidentified.

Reports suggest that Chinnaiah met these individuals in Tamil Nadu in late December last year. As quoted by Kannadaprabha, he was allegedly offered money to participate in a plan to target the Dharmasthala temple. The group had assured him that he would not face any harm and that his actions would trigger more complaints, prompting a deeper investigation.

Chinnaiah stated, “I was first trained in Bengaluru on how to respond during questioning. I acted according to instructions from the mastermind. I was only a player; the real planner was someone else.”

The SIT produced Chinnaiah in court, where he had earlier claimed to have buried bodies himself and even handed over a human skull as evidence. However, during interrogation, he refused to disclose the origin of the skull. He was questioned until late Friday and, after admitting to fabricating the story, was taken into custody. The following day, he underwent a medical check-up before appearing in court.

Previously, the SIT had excavated 17 of 18 locations indicated by Chinnaiah in Dharmasthala village. Human remains were found in one of the sites and on the ground in another. These remains have been sent for forensic analysis. Chinnaiah, a former sanitation worker, claimed he was employed in Dharmasthala from 1995 to 2014 and had been forced to bury multiple bodies, including women and minors. He also alleged that some of the victims showed signs of sexual assault and had earlier given a recorded statement before a magistrate.

Background of the Fake Dharmasthala Case

The case centers around allegations of serial killings, sexual assaults, and illegal burials in the Dharmasthala area spanning over two decades. Chinnaiah claimed to have worked as a sanitation worker during this period and stated that he had recently returned to one of the burial locations to retrieve skeletal remains, photographic evidence of which was submitted to authorities.

Following these serious allegations, the Karnataka government ordered that all related criminal cases across the state be transferred to the SIT for comprehensive investigation.

Home Minister Parameshwara said the SIT will continue its inquiry based on Chinnaiah’s current and past statements. When asked if an organized network was behind the complainant, he stated that the investigation would reveal whether such a network existed. Responding to questions about the delay in administering a narcoanalysis test, he clarified that once the case was handed over to the SIT, the government would not interfere in the investigative methods chosen by the team. Known colloquially as “truth serum,” narcoanalysis has been used in previous high-profile investigations.

(With inputs from Times of India & The Week)

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The post “I’m Just A Pawn, Real Mastermind Is Someone Else”: Why Did The ‘Masked Man’ Chinnaiah Behind The Fake Dharmasthala Case Lie? appeared first on The Commune.

In a sensational twist to the Dharmasthala mass burial case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested the “masked man” whose explosive allegations of mass graves had rocked Karnataka for weeks. He has now been identified as C.N. Chinnaiah alias Chennaiah, a native of Chikkaballi village in Mandya district.

Chinnaiah first surfaced in June 2025, claiming that he had buried bodies at 17 different locations in Dharmasthala. He even produced skeletal remains, including a skull, as supposed proof. His accusations ranging from murders to secret burials sparked large-scale excavations, drew national and international attention, and cast a shadow over the revered Dharmasthala temple.

Initially, the SIT refrained from arresting him after he sought protection under the Witness Protection Act, citing threats to his life. But once forensic examinations debunked his claims, his protection was revoked. Multiple cases, including filing false accusations, were registered. He was arrested, medically examined at Belthangady Government Hospital, and produced before court.

Sources said he has since confessed that his allegations were fabricated, and the SIT is now seeking his custody for further interrogation after already questioning him for more than 19 hours.

For weeks, Chinnaiah’s face was hidden behind a mask. On Friday, his photograph from years ago, when he worked as a sanitation worker in Dharmasthala, surfaced in the media, finally revealing his identity. Broadcasters including Asianet Suvarna News confirmed him as the same whistleblower who accompanied investigators during the high-profile digs.

False Allegations, Wasted Resources

His claims triggered frenzied excavations across Dharmasthala, but no evidence of mass burials was found. Forensic tests showed that the skull and bone fragments he produced were decades old and unrelated to his accusations.

Legal experts have noted that his fabricated testimony not only wasted precious investigative resources but also deeply distressed families of missing persons who briefly believed they might receive closure. The allegations, they said, also appeared designed to tarnish the reputation of Dharmasthala and its temple administration.

Chennai Gang Link

In a startling confession, Chinnaiah reportedly told the SIT that he was coerced by a Chennai-based gang in December 2023. He said the group pressured him to claim that legally sanctioned burials of pilgrims had actually been secret illegal graves.

The gang, he alleged, trained him to depose falsely in court, handed him old skeletal remains to use as “evidence,” and even coordinated his narrative with another complainant, Sujatha Bhat, who had filed a missing person case for her daughter.

Ex-Wife’s Testimony

Adding to the collapse of his credibility, Chinnaiah’s former wife spoke to reporters and accused him of lying for financial gain. Married to him from 1999 to 2006, she claimed he was abusive toward her and their two children, and that he worked as a sweeper in Dharmasthala, cleaning toilets.

“To avoid paying alimony, he lied in court about being unemployed during our divorce. He betrayed me,” she said, stressing that she had deep respect for Dharmasthala and that her husband’s claims were baseless.

Villagers Confirm Background

Residents of Chikkaballi village in Mandya corroborated parts of her account. They identified him as the youngest son of a grama panchayat employee, who had worked in civic jobs and at a local brick kiln. They recalled that the community even built him a house, which he later tried to claim solely for himself. He had also defaulted on a cattle loan and abruptly left the village in 2014.

SIT Investigation Continues

With Chinnaiah’s arrest and confessions, the SIT is now probing the alleged role of external actors, including the Chennai gang, in scripting and propagating the false narrative. Notices are expected to be issued to others connected to the case as the investigation deepens.

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The post Face Of Masked Man Who Made False Claims About Dharmasthala Temple ‘Mass Burials’ Revealed appeared first on The Commune.