Mother of Sowjanya files PIL in K'taka HC seeking 74 separate FIRs in Dharmasthala deaths case
Bengaluru: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Karnataka High Court by Kusumavathi, mother of the late Sowjanya, seeking court directions to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to register 74 separate FIRs and conduct a comprehensive investigation into the alleged unnatural deaths reported in Dharmasthala between 1990 and 2021.
The petition claims that the bodies of several unidentified persons were allegedly buried in the Dharmasthala region over a span of 31 years. Despite multiple appeals from families of victims, the SIT has allegedly failed to initiate individual cases or act on the detailed representations made earlier.
Details of the petition
According to the plea, the petitioner and other affected families had submitted a written request to the SIT on October 11, 2025, demanding separate FIRs for all 74 cases. The submission reportedly included detailed information such as dates, locations, UDR (Unnatural Death Report) numbers, and burial sites.
However, as no action was taken, the families have now approached the High Court. The PIL names the SIT as a respondent and seeks judicial oversight to ensure an impartial and effective investigation free from external influence.
Key prayers in the PIL
The petitioner has requested the court to:
Direct the SIT to register individual FIRs for all 74 alleged unnatural death cases and assign separate case numbers.
Appoint individual investigating officers for each case, ensuring personal accountability.
Use scientific tools such as ground-penetrating radar to locate burial sites, exhume remains for forensic examination, and conduct DNA and physical matching tests with missing person reports.
Identify victims through forensic pathology and record witness statements to trace possible perpetrators.
Publish public notices in at least three widely circulated newspapers (in Kannada and English) and on a government website with details such as the date, location, gender, and age of each case, enabling families of missing persons to contact the SIT.
Submit monthly progress reports on the investigation to the High Court.
Clarification by petitioner
The PIL emphasises that it does not seek to interfere with or criticize the functioning of the SIT. Instead, it calls for judicial supervision to ensure that the investigation proceeds “without political, social, or external pressures” and within the “framework of law and justice.”
The case is yet to be listed before a division bench of the Karnataka High Court for hearing.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
