Bengaluru, March 18 (NationPress) In a significant turn of events, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday instructed the Congress-led state administration to present a comprehensive report regarding the investigation undertaken by the police concerning the purported mass burial case linked to the Hindu pilgrimage site of Dharmasthala.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha, issued this order after the petitioner raised concerns regarding 74 unnatural deaths, claiming that the police did not adhere to proper inquest protocols and post-mortem procedures as mandated under Section 174(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The court has scheduled the next proceedings for July 9.

The petitioner, Kusumavathi, mother of Sowjanya, a teenage girl believed to be among the victims, has contested the SIT investigation, asserting that official protocols were not followed in documenting the deaths. She has requested the court to mandate the SIT to identify witnesses and hold accountable those responsible.

The attorney representing the state indicated that records pertaining to unnatural deaths in Dharmasthala prior to 2010 were destroyed as part of standard administrative procedures in accordance with a government directive permitting the disposal of outdated records.

Nevertheless, the state affirmed that records from 2010 onward remain intact, and officials possess information regarding unnatural deaths recorded in Dharmasthala during that timeframe.

The state government also contended that the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed significantly late, nearly 20 years after the alleged incidents, raising doubts about the delay.

Furthermore, the state mentioned efforts to recover human remains have yet to yield significant findings.

The petition submitted to the High Court requests a writ of mandamus (a judicial order compelling a public authority to fulfill its duty). Through this, the petitioner asks for 74 separate First Information Reports (FIRs) to be registered, one for each case detailed in her representation submitted on October 11, 2025.

After considering the plea, the High Court directed the state government to provide a report clarifying the key facts and details surrounding the police investigations related to the numerous deaths and disappearances highlighted in the petition.

The SIT assumed responsibility for investigating the alleged mass burial sites in July 2025.

This case emerged after an FIR was filed based on a complaint from a sanitation worker, who claimed he had been instructed to bury the remains of women and children within the temple town of Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014.

However, the sanitation worker, referred to as the “unknown mask man” and identified as Chinnaiah, was subsequently apprehended by the SIT for allegedly misleading the authorities.