Dharmasthala: Don't think there is need for NIA probe, SIT given freedom, says CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said there is no need for NIA probe into allegations of multiple rapes, murders and burials in Dharmasthala over past two decades, and that the SIT has been given complete freedom to investigate and submit a report.
Speaking to reporters here, chief minister also said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate and get rid of the suspicion on Dharmasthala.
He was responding to a question on opposition JD(S) and BJP taking out separate rallies in Dharmasthala on Sunday and Monday, respectively, alleging conspiracy and smear campaign against the Hindu religious place and criticising the way the state government handles the issue.
"They (opposition) are doing politics in everything. Let them go (to Dharmasthala) if they want. Dharmasthala's Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade has welcomed the SIT probe. Truth has to come out. SIT has been formed to bring the truth out. Truth should be known; Otherwise, a sword of suspicion will be hanging," Siddaramaiah said.
"The complainant appeared before a magistrate and made a statement. There was demand from various organisations to form SIT. The government's intention was that the truth should come out.
BJP too had welcomed the SIT probe, now they are doing politics for the sake of votes," he added.
On the opposition BJP's demand for a probe by a central agency, specifically by NIA, in the Dharmasthala case, the CM asked, "Did BJP give any case to CBI, while in power? I don't think there is any need for any other probe in the case".
Asked whether the SIT probe will be time-bound and when the probe report can be expected, he said, "I don't know, we are not interfering, we have given complete freedom to SIT, they will investigate and submit the report."
A controversy erupted after a complainant, later identified as C N Chinnaiah and arrested on charges of perjury, claimed burying a number of bodies, including those of women with signs of sexual assault, in Dharmasthala over a period of past two decades, with the implications pointing towards the administrators of the local temple.
The SIT, formed by the state government, which is probing charges, has conducted excavations at multiple locations identified by the complainant in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains were found at two sites.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
