‘How many such cases has Dharmasthala case probe officer handled?’ SC Adv.KV Dhananjay questions
Bengaluru: Supreme Court Advocate K V Dhananjay has raised serious concerns about the qualifications of the police officer appointed to investigate the Dharmasthala mass burial case complaint, questioning how many rape, murder, and body-exhumation cases the officer has handled in the past. “Does this officer possess the expertise required for a case of this scale and sensitivity, which the police department claims?” he asked.
In a press release, Dhananjay remarked that the alleged incident in Dharmasthala, where hundreds of rape and murder victims are said to have been buried, is unprecedented in the past 100 years of Indian judicial history. The officer appointed to lead the investigation is reportedly around 29 years old and serves as a Sub-Inspector at the Dharmasthala police station.
“How many similar cases involving rape, murder, and exhumation has this officer solved? Does the police department officially state that this officer is qualified for a case of this nature?” he reiterated.
Dhananjay stressed that if the government genuinely cares about public concern, it must issue a clear statement about the credentials of the appointed investigation officer. Only after this clarification should discussions on the investigation’s progress continue, he asserted.
The advocate also provided a timeline of developments in the case, the complainant’s legal team publicly announced their intent to file a complaint on June 22, 2025. The complaint was submitted to the Dakshina Kannada police on July 3. That very night, a revised version of the complaint was made public. The FIR was officially registered on July 4, and its updated version was also released to the public, Dhananjay said.
He further pointed out that even in Bengaluru, where murder investigations are handled by experienced officers, only 9 out of every 100 cases result in conviction. His team studied judgments from Bengaluru’s Sessions Courts over the past seven years and concluded that conviction rates remain alarmingly low despite expertise, raising concerns over entrusting such a grave case to a relatively junior officer.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Drug peddler's property worth Rs 1 crore attached in Srinagar
Srinagar (PTI): Property worth Rs 1 crore belonging to a notorious drug peddler was on Saturday attached in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, police said.
A double-storey house on eight marlas of land situated at Wantpora Eidgah, belonging to Basit Bilal Dar, a notorious drug peddler, valued at approximately Rs 1 crore, a police spokesperson said.
He said Dar is involved in two cases registered under various sections of the NDPS Act.
During investigation, it was established that the accused had acquired the said property through illicit proceeds generated from drug trafficking activities, the spokesperson said.
Consequently, the property was attached under the provisions of the NDPS Act. The attachment proceedings were conducted in the presence of the two independent witnesses, strictly in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures, he said.
As per the attachment order, the owner has been restrained from selling, leasing, transferring, altering, or creating any third-party interest in the property till further orders, the spokesperson added.
