The Principal District and Sessions Court, Mangaluru, on Monday granted bail to CN Chinnaiah, the complainant in the Dharmasthala mass-burial case, nearly three months after he was arrested for perjury on August 23.
Judge Basavaraj allowed the bail petition filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), ordering Chinnaiah’s release on execution of a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties of the same amount.
As part of the bail conditions, the court barred Chinnaiah from speaking to the press, television channels, social media platforms or any form of media about the case. He has been prohibited from tampering with prosecution witnesses or destroying evidence, and must cooperate fully with the investigation.
Chinnaiah has been directed to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) police station in Belthangady on alternate days and cannot leave the court’s jurisdiction without prior permission.
Chinnaiah was arrested after the SIT, headed by Director-General of Police Pronab Mohanty, found his allegations of mass burials in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014 to be false. The SIT dug multiple locations identified by him but found no evidence to support his claims.
The charge sheet filed by the SIT on November 20 names Chinnaiah and four activists—Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, Girish Mattennavar, T Jayanth and Vittala Gowda—alleging that the activists had “pressurised” him into submitting the false complaint. They have been charged with giving false evidence, fabricating evidence and forgery.
Chinnaiah had filed a complaint at the Dharmasthala police station on July 3, following which a case was registered on July 4. He recorded his statement before the JMFC court in Belthangady on July 11.
The SIT arrested him on August 23 and he was lodged in the Central Prison in Shivamogga.
The District Legal Services Authority had arranged legal representation for Chinnaiah to file the bail application.