Karnataka lawyers flag police leak in Dharmasthala case
The legal team alleged that Dharmasthala police compromised the integrity of the ongoing probe into multiple suspicious deaths and secret burials by leaking confidential case information
Lawyers representing the whistleblower in the Dharmasthala mass grave case on Thursday handed over a memorandum to chief minister Siddaramaiah, raising serious concerns about police collusion, information leaks, and pressure tactics allegedly being deployed to derail the investigation
The memorandum was addressed to Siddaramaiah, home minister G Parameshwara, Karnataka director general of police (DGP), Chief Justice of India, and chief justice of the Karnataka high court.
The legal team alleged that Dharmasthala police compromised the integrity of the ongoing probe into multiple suspicious deaths and secret burials by leaking confidential case information, including a witness statement, to third parties. The statement, recorded on July 14, contained sensitive details that later allegedly appeared in a YouTube video, which reportedly remained online for over 11 hours. HT has seen the video but could not verify its authenticity.
“This video features an individual who openly claims that the information was provided to him directly by police insiders. Neither our client Sri V nor our legal team have any link whatsoever with this individual. This leak proves beyond doubt that serving officers connected with the probe are wilfully compromising it by sharing sensitive leads with unauthorised third parties,” the lawyers said in the petition.
They described the leak as a deliberate act that has “severely damaged trust in the integrity” of the probe. The petition further alleged that certain officers had effectively “surrendered to vested interests,” weakening the case by failing to protect sensitive material and acting under external pressure. “Instead of conducting a fair, transparent probe, the officers appear to be acting under pressure,” the lawyers wrote, claiming that no credible effort had been made to identify or penalise those behind the leak.
Meanwhile, former Supreme Court judge justice V Gopal Gowda on Thursday demanded the immediate constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) under judicial supervision and state security for the key witness and his legal representatives.
“The state must immediately guarantee protection to the whistleblower and his legal team. If anything happens to them, the home minister and the DGP will be directly responsible,” he said.
He said that the current investigation team was forcing the witness to cooperate without legal safeguards and even pressuring him to mark burial sites on blank sheets of paper. “After the witness gave his statement in the Magistrate Court, the investigation has not been proper. Police are forcing him to mark burial spots on blank papers. Worse, parts of his statement are being leaked,” he said.
Calling for the removal of the current investigating officers, justice Gowda said only a new team working under the supervision of a sitting or retired high court or Supreme Court judge could ensure an impartial probe. “The investigating officer is calling outsiders while recording the statement and is asking questions as instructed by them. This is unacceptable and dangerous for the truth. A new SIT under judicial oversight is the only way forward,” he said.
Senior lawyer CS Dwarkanath, who accompanied the former judge, stressed that such breaches had legal consequences. “Statements given under Section 183 of CrPC become direct evidence. When these statements are being leaked to private parties, it amounts to a severe breach of process. We have written to the Home Minister demanding immediate corrective measures,” he said.
The case stems from allegations made by a former sanitation worker in Dharmasthala, who claimed to have been forced to bury bodies of women and minors in and around the town over a span of years. The state police had previously registered a case and announced plans to exhume remains near the Nethravathi river based on the witness’s claims.
Meanwhile, health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said the state government is not protecting anybody in the Dharmasthala burial case, in which a witness complained of disappearances, unnatural deaths, and sexual assaults.
“There is no question of supporting or protecting anybody. We do not want to sensationalise the case, but we certainly want to pursue the truth. We want the truth to come out,” said the minister to reporters on Thursday.
With PTI inputs
