Bengaluru, Oct 8 The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sensational Dharmasthala case is preparing to file a chargesheet before the court by the end of October, after completing the investigation, recording statements, collecting evidence, and gathering related documents, a source said on Wednesday.
According to sources, SIT officials are getting ready to file the chargesheet at a court in Belthangady by the end of October.
The SIT is obligated to submit the chargesheet within 90 days of arrest of the complainant, known as “mask man” Chinnaiah.
However, the SIT sources maintain that the chargesheet is expected to be filed sooner, by the end of October. Once submitted, the case will be taken up for trial at the District Sessions Court in Mangaluru.
The investigation into the alleged mass murder case has reached its final stage, as the agency has reportedly found no concrete evidence linking the temple authorities to the serious allegations of mass killings of women, girls, and elderly persons over the past decade.
The jailed complainant, Chinnaiah, had earlier produced a skull before the authorities and court to support his claims.
Following an extensive excavation operation in Dharmasthala, the SIT arrested Chinnaiah on charges of misleading the police and the court. The SIT is also likely to initiate action against activists and YouTubers who were at the forefront of the campaign against the temple authorities.
Meanwhile, Sujata Bhat, one of the complainants who had alleged the murder of her daughter, stated that she had been misled in the entire episode. She expressed her intention to visit the pilgrimage centre at Dharmasthala to tender an apology.
She further said she plans to meet Dharmadhikari and BJP Rajya Sabha Member Veerendra Heggade to seek his forgiveness and will soon visit Dharmasthala to offer prayers to Lord Manjunatha.
Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara recently stated that it is impossible to ask the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to submit its report on the alleged Dharmasthala mass murder case within a time-bound framework.
Parameshwara said: "We have only asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to expedite the probe into the alleged Dharmasthala murder case. It is not possible to ask them to submit a report within a fixed time-frame."
On July 11, Chinnaiah, who had claimed that he was forced to bury several bodies of women who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala village appeared before a court in Karnataka’s Mangaluru district, and recorded his statement. He submitted his statement under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) before Principal Civil Judge and First Class Judicial Magistrate Sandesh K.
He was accompanied by a group of lawyers and police personnel and entered the court with his face covered. The development had sparked a major controversy. He requested that the police exhume the bodies in his presence. The complainant also sought protection for himself and his family.
He further alleged that the bodies of the women showed clear signs of sexual assault. They were found without clothes or undergarments and bore injuries suggesting violent acts. The revelations have shocked the state.
A retired Supreme Court judge and activists demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe monitored by the Supreme Court or the High Court into the shocking murders involving many women and others.
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