Bengaluru, Oct 30 (NationPress) Activists who have accused the temple management in Dharmasthala of mass murders have taken their concerns to the Karnataka High Court on Thursday, seeking to have the police notice against them annulled, along with quashing the FIR filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) based on their own allegations.

Activists Girish Mattennavar, Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, T. Jayanth, and Vittala Gowda have submitted a writ petition through senior counsel S. Balan. The State of Karnataka, along with the Director General and Inspector General of Police and the Chief Investigation Officer of the SIT concerning the Dharmasthala case, are listed as respondents.

The writ petition is filed under Article 226 and 227 of the Constitution and Section 528 of the BNS Act.

The petitioners claim they are troubled by a police notice dated October 24, received via WhatsApp, which instructed them to appear before the SIT in Belthangady on October 27 regarding Crime No. 39/2025 registered at the Dharmasthala Police Station. This notice cites various offences under sections of the BNS Act, 2023, which are currently under review by the Addl. Civil Judge and JMFC in Belthangady.

The notice also includes stipulations such as not interfering with witnesses and fully cooperating with the investigation, under threat of arrest, as stated in the petition.

According to the petitioners, they have faced over 100 hours of interrogation and have been required to stay at the third respondent's office from 10 a.m. until midnight on multiple occasions.

The petitioners argue that they are social activists advocating for the justice of vulnerable and marginalized victims, having participated in protests for the rights of individuals such as Soujanya, Padmalatha, and Vedhavalli over the past three decades. They contend that this advocacy is not only their fundamental duty but also a right protected under Article 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution of India, which cannot be construed as a breach of any law.

They respectfully request the court to stay the notice issued under Section 35(3) of the BNS 2023 dated October 24 and to quash the FIR registered in Crime No. 39/2025, along with the charges outlined in the BNS Act.

Recall that a significant development took place on July 11, when an unidentified complainant, claiming to have been compelled to bury the remains of women and girls who were allegedly raped and murdered in Dharmasthala, testified in court in Mangaluru. He requested the exhumation of the bodies in his presence, alleging that they exhibited evident signs of sexual assault, having been found unclothed and bearing injuries indicative of violent sexual abuse.

These shocking allegations have reverberated throughout Karnataka and captured national attention.