chinnaiah | Photo credit: file photo
Mahesh Shetty Thimarody | Photo credit: file photo
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Dharmasthala case filed a 3,900-page chargesheet against Chinnaiah, the complainant in the case, Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, Girish Mattennavar, T. Jayanth and Vittala Gowda, all activists, and Sujatha Bhat in a Daakshinnadgady court on Thursday.
They were accused of giving false evidence, forgery and other offenses under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Parts cited
It was filed with Additional Civil Judge and JMFC CH Vijayendra. The court must take cognizance of the notice relating to the offenses under Sections 227 (false evidence), 228 (fabrication of false evidence), 229, 230 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to obtain a conviction for a capital offence), 231 furnishing or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure a felony233 with a life sentence known to be false), 236 (false statement made in a statement legally enforceable as evidence), 240 (providing false information about an offence), 248 (false accusation of a crime with intent to injure) and 336 (forgery) of the BNS.
The SIT will file a supplementary report after receiving scientific reports from the Forensic Science Laboratory and other documents related to the case.
On 5 May 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation filed by Chinniah to investigate the burial of multiple bodies in Dharmasthala village between 1995 and 2014. He later filed a complaint with the Dharmasthala police with the same allegations.
He later filed a voluntary statement before a judge under Section 183 of the BNSS and produced a skull stating that it was a woman.
The skull is not female
The SIT found that the skull created by Chinnaiah was not that of a woman but that of a 32-year-old man. Apart from partial skeletal remains of males at two sites, the SIT did not find skeletal remains from several sites that were excavated. On August 23, the SIT arrested Chinniah for perjury on August 23.
During his investigation, Chinnaiah told the SIT that he got the skull from the uncle of Soujanya’s 2012 rape and murder victim Vittal Gowda and his brother (Mr. Gowda) and produced it before the judge.
He told the SIT that he filed a false complaint and a false voluntary statement under pressure from Mr. Thimarody and three activists. On his request, the court recorded Chinnaiah’s voluntary statement for the second time under Section 183 of the BNSS.
Chinnaiah’s revelation
In a writ petition filed by Mr. Mattennavar and three others in the Supreme Court, the SIT said Chinnaiah revealed that one of the activists (of those who approached the High Court) was involved in the murder. Besides, Chinnaiah made many new revelations pointing to the complicity of activists in the case, the SIT said.
The SIT also gathered evidence against Sujatha Bhat for filing a false complaint with the Dharmasthala police that her MBBS student daughter had gone missing from Dharmasthala. Ms. Bhat told the SIT that she filed the complaint under pressure from Mr. Thimarody and four other activists.
Published – 20 Nov 2025 21:36 IST
