The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to provide a detailed account of 74 cases involving allegedly unnatural deaths reported in Dharmasthala between 1990 and 2021. Officials have been asked to clarify the current status of each case and outline both completed and proposed investigative steps.
The order came from a division bench led by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Kusumavati, whose daughter Soujanya was gang-raped and murdered in the town in 2012.
The petition also references allegations made by former sanitation worker CN Chinnaiah, who had claimed he was forced over several years to bury the bodies of women and minors in and around Dharmasthala. A state police Special Investigation Team (SIT) was subsequently formed to examine these assertions. Chinnaiah was later taken into custody on a perjury charge.
During the hearing, the Advocate General assured the court that the government would compile comprehensive information on all 74 cases and submit it within a week. Counsel for the petitioner called for a thorough inquiry, arguing that each case warranted proper investigation and trial.
The bench refrained from commenting on the merits of the matter until the State submits its report. It was also noted that the Karnataka government had not initially been listed as a respondent in the petition, prompting the court to direct the petitioner to formally include it and issue notice.
The court has granted the State two weeks to respond and scheduled the next hearing for February 19.

Karnataka govt asked to detail probe status in decades-old deaths

HC seeks report on 74 Dharmasthala death cases

Karnataka govt asked to detail probe status in decades-old deaths

February 5, 2026 | 11:53 IST