Investigators probing allegations linked to the Dharmasthala case will respond before the Karnataka High Court, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Karg said on Friday, after a writ petition by the main accused, C N Chinnaya, made allegations of a money conspiracy aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the temple city.
Karg declined to comment on the substance of the accusations, saying that the matter was now before the court and that the Special Investigation Team’s response would be presented through judicial proceedings rather than discussed publicly.
“It is a court-monitored investigation. The court has asked certain questions to the SIT, and the head of the SIT will respond to them. It cannot be discussed publicly. Once the response is submitted to the court, it will be known,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.
The minister was responding to questions about a writ petition filed by Chennaiah in the Karnataka High Court. Chennaiah, whose earlier allegations led to the formation of the Special Investigation Team, now claims that he was drawn into a larger effort to discredit Dharmasthala and sought directions to investigators to complete their investigations and proceed against those allegedly involved.
Media reports also pointed to allegations in the petition that large sums of money were used to support the alleged plot. These assertions have not yet been verified, Karg said.
“There are media reports that an application has been filed with the court. $It is alleged that Rs 200 crore, which is not a small amount. “How true that is is unknown,” he said.
“He is the same person who claimed about numerous murders, rapes and burials. It must be checked whether he is telling the truth.”
According to details in the petition, Chinnaya allegedly named activist Mahesh Shetty Timmarudi, Girish Mathanvar, Vithal Gowda, Jayant, among others, and accused them of coordinating a campaign against Dharmasthala.
Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued notices to the state government and the SIT and directed the investigators to submit a status report by June 29.
The petition also reportedly refers to actor Prakash Raj and includes allegations regarding a phone conversation. In response to a question about the name of the actor appearing in the file, Karg said that the mere mention of a person in court documents should not be treated as evidence of wrongdoing.
He said: “Just by mentioning a name, a person cannot be considered a criminal. The court asked for a response from the head of the special investigation team. Let him respond. Before that, these matters cannot be discussed in the media.”
Prakash Raj later said that he would address the issue publicly in the next few days.
“It has come to my attention that some news and discussions regarding me are being circulated in the media and on social media in connection with the Dharmasthala issue. Since this is a very sensitive matter that has affected the faith of millions of devotees, it is my duty to respond to these doubts and questions,” he said in a post on X.
“I am currently away. In the next two days, I will return in person and speak to the media. Until then, please do not believe the rumors or exaggerated and fabricated stories that some malicious people are trying to attach to this news.”
The developments sparked fresh demands from the BJP for more transparency in the investigation. BJP leader Sunil Kumar called on the government to publish the findings of the special investigation team and reveal who is behind the allegations that led to the investigation. BJP state president BY Vijayendra has alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched to damage the reputation of Dharmasthala and has asked for a probe into the alleged flow of funds mentioned in the recent claims.
“It has now been revealed that hundreds of millions were involved in this,” Vijayendra said. “Who was behind this? Who invested? Why did the then Prime Minister turn a blind eye and hand over the matter to the special court? The people of the country and the Hindus want the truth to come out in all this.”
The controversy stems from allegations made by Chinnaya last year that he had buried multiple bodies over two decades in Dharmastala, including the remains of women who he claimed had been sexually assaulted. These allegations prompted the state government to form a special investigation team. Investigators later excavated several sites identified by Chinnaya near the Netravathi River and recovered skeletal remains at two sites.
