SIT finds no conclusive evidence in Dharmasthala mass burial allegations: Report
Bengaluru/Mangaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating allegations of mass burials in Dharmasthala has so far not found substantial evidence to support the claims made by whistleblower CN Chinnaiah, according to sources quoted by The New Indian Express on Monday. The team is now examining whether there was an attempt to deliberately target the temple town and identify those who may have instigated the allegations.
Since, Chinnaiah, a former sanitation worker at the temple between 1995 and 2014, alleged that he was coerced into burying more than 100 bodies—including those of women and minors, the SIT has identified and examined around 18 alleged burial sites, where limited skeletal remains were found at some locations, including Banglegudde.
These remains have been sent for forensic and DNA analysis. However, according to officials, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report on remains recovered near the Nethravathi bathing ghat indicated they belonged to a male, contrary to the complainant’s claims. The report also stated that the age of the remains could not be determined and that there was no DNA sample available for matching. The SIT is still awaiting results on five skulls seized from Banglegudde.
Sujatha Bhat, who is also a complainant in the case, had alleged that after visiting Dharmasthala in 2003, her daughter went missing. She later retracted her statement and admitted that she had no daughter and had made the false claim under pressure from others.
The investigation was led by Director General of Police (Cyber Command) Pronab Mohanty and was constituted in July after the allegations gained national attention. Due to public sentiment over the unsolved murder of Soujanya the case resurfaced. Her case was initially investigated by the local police and later handed to the CID, before transferring it to the CBI. The CBI’s main accused, Santhosh Rao, was acquitted in 2023 for lack of evidence, and the Karnataka High Court later rejected a plea for a fresh probe.
The SIT has issued notices under Section 41A to five individuals including activists Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, Girish Mattannavar, Vittal Gowda, Jayant T, and Sujatha Bhat, for questioning in connection with the ongoing perjury case. Officials quoted by TNIE said that failure to comply with the notice could lead to arrests.
The Dakshina Kannada police denied permission for a protest planned in support of Timarodi. They said that a related writ petition is pending before the High Court, while the District Superintendent of Police Arun K warned that legal action would be taken if the instructions were not followed.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
