Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday, January 13 sought the state government’s response to a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that 74 unnatural deaths in Dharmasthala village between 1990 and 2021 were closed without following due legal procedure. It also seeks independent FIRs and fresh investigations into these cases.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha issued notice in a petition filed by 48-year-old Kusumavathi, mother of Sowjanya, the 17-year-old girl who was raped and murdered near Dharmasthala in 2012.
The petition states that on October 11, 2025, Kusumavathi submitted a representation to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the state government in July 2025 to probe allegations of mass burials in the region. She alleged that at least 74 Unnatural Death Reports (UDRs) in Dharmasthala were closed in violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Karnataka (Investigation of Unnatural Deaths and Conduct Inquests) Rules, 2004.
The petitioner further alleged that in all 74 cases, the bodies were buried within 24 hours of death, indicating that mandatory inquest procedures were not followed.
The court has adjourned the PIL to February 3.