The Belthangady court has once again postponed its order on taking cognisance of the SIT report in the Dharmasthala case to January 3, 2026. The report alleges false complaints and fabrication of evidence by multiple accused.
The Belthangady court in Dakshina Kannada district on Monday once again postponed its decision on whether to take cognisance of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report in the much-discussed Dharmasthala case.
The court has now fixed January 3, 2026, as the next date for pronouncing its order. This is the second time the matter has been adjourned after it was earlier posted for orders.
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The case relates to allegations of mass burial of bodies in Dharmasthala village, which were found to be false after a detailed investigation by the SIT. During the probe, the SIT arrested Chinnaiah on August 23 for allegedly filing a false complaint and giving a false statement before the court.
According to the investigation, Chinnaiah made the allegations under pressure from activists Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, Girish Mattennavar, T. Jayanth and Vittala Gowda.
After completing the investigation, the SIT submitted a detailed 3,900-page report before the Belthangady court under Section 215 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
The report names Chinnaiah, Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, Girish Mattennavar, T. Jayanth, Vittala Gowda and Sujatha Bhat as accused in the case. The SIT has accused them of committing perjury and several other serious offences for allegedly fabricating false evidence and misleading the court.
As per the SIT report, the accused have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 227 for giving false evidence, 228 for fabricating false evidence, 229 and 230 for giving or fabricating false evidence with the intention of procuring conviction for a capital offence, 231 for giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to secure conviction for an offence punishable with life imprisonment, 233 for using evidence known to be false, 236 for making a false statement in a declaration receivable as evidence by law, 240 for giving false information relating to an offence, 248 for making a false charge with intent to cause injury, and 336 for forgery.
Earlier, the matter was heard by Additional Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class T. H. Vijayendra. Special Public Prosecutor Divyaraj Hegde presented arguments on behalf of the SIT. After hearing the submissions, the court had initially posted the case for pronouncement of orders on December 26.
The date was later shifted to December 29. On Monday, the Magistrate once again adjourned the matter and fixed January 3 for passing orders on whether to take cognisance of the SIT report.
Meanwhile, the Magistrate also passed an order rejecting applications filed by Girish Mattennavar and Mahesh Shetty Thimarody’s aide Mohan Shetty.
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The applications sought the release of Mattennavar’s mobile phone and Mohan Shetty’s laptop, which were seized by the SIT during the investigation. Objecting to the requests, Prosecutor Divyaraj Hegde informed the court that both the mobile phone and the laptop were crucial material evidence in the case.
He also submitted that releasing the devices at this stage could lead to tampering with evidence. Accepting the prosecution’s objection, the court refused to release the seized electronic devices.
The case continues to draw attention as the court prepares to decide whether to proceed against the accused based on the extensive SIT findings.
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