The Karnataka High Court, on Wednesday, November 12, vacated the stay on the ongoing investigation in the Dharmasthala case while extending its interim order directing that no harassment be caused to the petitioners.
A single-judge bench of Justice Mohammed Nawaz was hearing a petition filed by activists Girish Mattanavar, Mahesh Thimmarodi, Jayant T, and Vittal Gowda. They had sought the quashing of the FIR filed by the Dharmasthala police based on the complaint of Chinnaiah, who had alleged that he had buried several bodies illegally at the behest of the temple administration in Dharmasthala.
During the hearing, Additional Public Prosecutor BN Jagadeesha argued that the petitioners had obtained a stay by providing false information that the Magistrate’s permission had not been secured. He said that such permission had, in fact, been obtained, enabling the bench to review the earlier order.
BN Jagadeesha contended that as notices were being served to the accused, they approached the court alleging harassment. “If the stay is not vacated, it will obstruct the investigation,” he said, urging the court to lift the stay. He also pointed out that the petitioners themselves had previously commended the SIT’s investigation.
The court then vacated the stay on the probe but extended the interim direction restraining harassment of the petitioners.
The petitioners had been at the forefront of the ‘Justice for Sowjanya’ movement and had backed the claims made by Chinnaiah. The SIT, however, summoned them nine times over a skull that Chinnaiah produced before a magistrate in July 2025. The SIT had found that Chinnaiah had not exhumed the skull himself and served notices to the four men, who were believed to know how and from where it was exhumed.