Advocate urges SC to take cognizance of Dharmasthala Burials, seeks SIT oversight by Retired Judge
New Delhi: Advocate Rohit Pandey of the Supreme Court has written to the Chief Justice of India requesting the apex court to take suo motu cognizance of the alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala and to place the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge.
In his letter dated September 16, Pandey stated that the extraordinary disclosures surrounding the case, including exhumed human remains, public testimonies, and corroborations by villagers, demanded urgent judicial intervention to ensure independence, transparency and accountability in the investigation.
Allegations and SIT probe
The letter recalls that sanitation worker C.N. Chinnayya had, in July 2025, sworn an affidavit before the court and lodged a complaint with police, alleging that he was compelled to secretly bury victims of heinous crimes and rapes over the past two decades in Dharmasthala. Acting on his disclosures, the Karnataka government formed an SIT on July 20, which has since exhumed skeletal remains, skulls, and clothing items from multiple sites.
Villagers, including Vittal Gowda, uncle of Soujanya, the 17-year-old rape and murder victim of 2012, have testified that they witnessed Chinnayya burying bodies in the past. Guided by his earlier disclosures, villagers reportedly led the SIT to Banglegudde, where several bodies are visibly present.
On September 13, a senior Karnataka minister confirmed publicly that a large number of bodies had been unearthed by the SIT in Dharmasthala, describing the findings as resembling a “battlefield.”
Concerns over pressure and intimidation
Despite the findings, Pandey’s letter alleges that the SIT is facing pressure not to exhume further visible bodies. He also raised concerns that lawyers assisting victims in approaching the SIT are being harassed by state police outside the SIT, terming it an attack on the independence of the Bar.
Demands before the Supreme Court
In light of these circumstances, the advocate urged the Chief Justice to intervene and ensure judicial oversight. The letter specifically requests the court to:
Take suo motu cognizance of the Dharmasthala mass burials case;
Place the SIT under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge;
Direct immediate exhumation and forensic examination of all visible remains under judicial oversight;
Ensure protection for witnesses, victims’ families, and assisting lawyers.
“Justice imperilled”
Pandey cautioned that when human remains remain unexhumed due to pressure and witnesses are silenced, “justice itself is imperilled.” He underlined that the intervention of the Supreme Court was the only safeguard to prevent truth from being buried and to uphold the dignity of the law.
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Pak police registers case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on LeT co-founder
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Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.
On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.
In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.
"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.
He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.
The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."
It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.
"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.
It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.
The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.
The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.
TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.
The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.
Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.
Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.
In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.
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