A plea was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order quashing a media gag, stating, “Around 8,000 YouTube channels are running defamatory content against the Dharmasthala temple” in the burial case controversy.
New Delhi: A recent ruling by the Karnataka High Court set-aside a media gag imposed by a Bengaluru civil court on the YouTube channel Kudla Rampage concerning its coverage of the Dharmasthala mass burial case.
This decision has now been challenged in the Supreme Court.
Harshendra Kumar D, the Secretary of the Dharmasthala Temple institutions, approached the apex court to seek the removal of allegedly defamatory content circulating about the temple’s managing family.
This matter was brought up this morning before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai and Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Vinod Chandran.
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The counsel mentioned,
“Around 8,000 YouTube channels are running defamatory content against the Dharmasthala temple,”
The Court indicated that the case might be heard as soon as tomorrow.
The CJI responded,
“I think it’s already listed for tomorrow,”
The case originated from allegations made by a former sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala Manjunathaswamy Temple.
The worker claimed in a police complaint that he had been coerced by his supervisors to bury numerous bodies, including those of women, for nearly two decades. While the complaint did not name specific individuals as offenders, these revelations sparked considerable public discourse and media attention.
In response, Harshendra Kumar filed a civil defamation suit in a Bengaluru sessions court, listing a staggering 8,842 allegedly defamatory links. This included 4,140 YouTube videos, 932 Facebook posts, 3,584 Instagram posts, 108 news articles, 37 Reddit posts, and 41 tweets.
The orders stem from a defamation suit filed by Harshendra Kumar, Secretary of Dharmasthala temple institutions, who alleged that 8,842 pieces of content were defamatory. This included:
- 4,140 YouTube videos
- 932 Facebook posts
- 3,584 Instagram posts
- 108 news articles
- 37 Reddit posts
- 41 tweets
The trial court then passed a blanket injunction restraining publication of any content related to the Dharmasthala controversy.
Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Vijay Kumar Rai, On July 18, issued a blanket gag order until August 5 against any reporting on the matter.
Kudla Rampage subsequently challenged this order in the Karnataka High Court. On August 1, the High Court lifted the restraining order on the YouTube channel, but the gag order largely remained in effect for other media outlets.
Judge Rai later requested that the case be reassigned to another judge after journalist Naveen Soorinje noted that he had been a student in the 1995-1998 batch at SDM Law College, Mangalore, which is operated by the Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Trust.
The matter was then presented to Judge Anitha M, who on the previous day dismissed the Dharmasthala temple administration’s request to restrict media reporting on the mass burial allegations, effectively lifting the earlier media gag.
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