Dharmasthala Scandal: Whistleblower Named Mastermind in Massive 3,900-Page Chargesheet

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Karnataka government has submitted an exhaustive 3,900-page charge sheet in the high-profile Dharmasthala clandestine burial case, marking a stunning conclusion to a probe that once threatened to engulf one of the state’s most revered religious institutions. Filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Beltangady under Section 215 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the document represents months of intensive investigation involving multiple excavations, forensic examinations, and interrogation of dozens of witnesses.

In a development that has left both political circles and the public reeling, the original complainant, CN Chinnaiah — whose explosive allegations of burying murdered and sexually assaulted women over nearly two decades had ignited statewide fury — has been formally charged as one of the six main accused. Sources confirm that Chinnaiah, already under arrest for perjury after his statements crumbled under scrutiny, is now accused of orchestrating a criminal conspiracy rather than merely exposing one.

Alongside Chinnaiah, the charge sheet names five prominent activists who had vocally supported his initial claims and pressured authorities to register an FIR: Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, Girish Mattannavar, T Jayanth, Vittal Gowda, and Sujatha Bhat. What began as a coordinated campaign demanding justice and hinting at involvement of Dharmasthala temple administrators has now been reframed by the SIT as a calculated attempt to defame the institution and incite communal tension through fabricated evidence.

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Despite extensive searches guided by Chinnaiah himself, the SIT recovered only a limited number of skeletal remains from marked locations along the Netravathi riverbank and in the dense Banglegudde forest near the temple’s bathing ghat. Forensic analysis and corroborative evidence reportedly revealed significant discrepancies between the complainant’s dramatic narrative and the physical findings, leading investigators to conclude that the entire episode was built on deliberate falsehoods and staged discoveries.

The filing of the charge sheet effectively closes a chapter that had dominated headlines, triggered heated legislative debates, and placed the historic Manjunatha temple under unprecedented public suspicion. With all six individuals once seen as crusaders for truth now facing serious charges including murder, rape, and criminal conspiracy, the case stands as one of the most extraordinary reversals in recent Karnataka criminal history.

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