SIT must interrogate officer who threatened complainant: Sujatha Bhat's Lawyer
Mangaluru: New allegations have surfaced in the ongoing Dharmasthala case, targeting one of the investigating officers, Manjunath Gowda. Advocate Manjunath N., representing Sujatha Bhat, the mother of missing medical student Ananya Bhat, has claimed that Gowda allegedly coerced the main witness and complainant into altering his statement, even recording the manipulated testimony on his mobile phone.
The lawyer stated that this serious allegation strengthens the case for a deeper and more independent investigation. He urged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), currently probing the case under the leadership of Pronab Mohanty, must interrogate Officer Manjunath Gowda as part of its proceedings.
According to reliable sources, the SIT had already been maintaining close surveillance on Officer Gowda as a precautionary measure. Today’s development, the lawyer said, should further empower the SIT in uncovering the truth behind the case.
No official statement has yet been released by either the SIT or the legal counsel of the complainant concerning this latest allegation. However, the complaint filed by the legal team representing the victim’s family has reportedly been submitted to the SIT leadership.
The case has drawn widespread public and media attention due to an explosive claim by a former sanitation worker, that he was forced to bury the bodies of hundreds of individuals in and around Dharmasthala.
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Won't leave India without prior permission, will cooperate in probe: Anil Ambani tells SC
New Delhi (PTI): Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani has filed an undertaking in the Supreme Court that he will not leave the country without its prior permission and fully cooperate with agencies' probe into the alleged Rs 40,000 crore banking and corporate fraud involving the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG).
In an affidavit filed before the top court, the industrialist stated that he was not a flight risk and has no intention to evade the process of law.
"I state on oath that I have not left India since July 2025, since the inception of the present investigations, and presently have no plan or intention to travel outside India. It is further undertaken that in the event any requirement of foreign travel arises, I shall seek prior leave and permission of this court before undertaking any such travel," Ambani said.
"I, with utmost bona fide, have been fully cooperating with the investigating agencies in connection with the ongoing investigations and continues to extend complete cooperation," he added.
The submissions have been in response to a plea filed by former bureaucrat E A S Sarma seeking a fair, prompt and dispassionate probe into the alleged massive banking and corporate fraud involving the ADAG, Anil Ambani and the group companies.
The affidavit further stated that he has been summoned by the Directorate of Enforcement to appear on February 26, 2026, and undertook to appear and join the investigation on the said date.
"I undertake to fully cooperate with the authorities, while ensuring procedural clarity and preventing any suggestion of evasion or selective presentation of facts by the petitioner," Ambani said.
He submitted that the affidavit was being filed to demonstrate that his conduct has been transparent, cooperative.
Voicing displeasure over the "unexplained delay" in investigations, the top court on February 4 had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to conduct a fair, prompt and dispassionate probe into alleged fraud.
When Sarma expressed apprehension that he may flee, Ambani, represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, assured the top court that he will not leave the country without its prior nod.
The PIL filed by Sarma alleged systematic diversion of public funds, fabrication of financial statements and institutional complicity across multiple entities of ADAG.
