The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged mass grave case linked to the Dharmasthala Hindu pilgrimage centre has submitted a 3,932-page preliminary charge sheet before the Belthangady JMFC Court. 
The agency has requested additional time to complete the investigation and sought judicial directions on the next phase of the probe.
Investigating Officer Jitendra Kumar Dayama filed the preliminary charge sheet on Thursday, comprising seven volumes that include statements, records from multiple crime scenes, and details of excavations conducted at more than 17 locations. 
The charge sheet also contains the statement of the arrested accused, Chinnayya, known as the &ldquo;mask man&rdquo;, along with statements of individuals allegedly connected to him, including activists Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, Girish Mattannanavar, T. Jayanth, and Vittal Gowda.
The SIT informed the court that several aspects of the investigation remain incomplete. 
The questioning of some accused persons is pending, and laboratory reports are yet to be received. 
The agency has assured the court that a full and final charge sheet will be submitted upon completion of the investigation.
The charge sheet also includes the statement of Sujatha Bhat, who had earlier claimed that her daughter had gone missing in the Dharmasthala region but later retracted the statement, saying she had acted under the influence of activists.
Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara, reacting to the development, said in Bengaluru on Thursday, &ldquo;We have given clearance for the SIT to submit the charge sheet in the Dharmasthala case. It is up to the SIT to decide when to submit it. They are required to file it within 90 days of the FIR, and they will do so.&rdquo;
He added, &ldquo;Once they submit the charge sheet, they will provide the information to the government. Let the details come out; everyone will know then. They will also brief the government, after all, it was the government that formed the SIT.&rdquo;
Parameshwara noted that the case had been extensively discussed during the last legislative session and said the findings would be presented in the upcoming winter session. 
&ldquo;Once the report is submitted, we will know all the details, what conspiracy took place, who was responsible. We will explain the findings of the report in the legislature during the upcoming winter session,&rdquo; he said.
According to officials, the charge sheet compiles developments from the filing of the complaint on June 22 and the subsequent four-month investigation, including photographs, videos, and supplementary statements.
The case drew major public attention after the masked man, Chinnaiah, appeared before a Mangaluru district court on July 11 claiming he had been forced to bury bodies of women and girls who were allegedly raped and murdered in the region. 
He also submitted a skull to the SIT, reportedly retrieved from one of the burial sites, and alleged the victims bore signs of sexual assault.
He was later provided protection under the Witness Protection Act.
However, on August 23, the SIT arrested him on charges of providing false information after more than 15 hours of interrogation, concluding that he had misled authorities.
Earlier, on August 7, the SIT recovered a male skeleton and human bones from a marked burial site, which were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination.
The court is expected to issue directions regarding further investigation later on Friday.
&mdash;IANS

SIT officials have additionally informed the court that some of the individuals named obstructed the inquiry when summoned

SIT files 3,932-page charge sheet, seeks extra time to continue Dharmasthala probe

SIT Seeks Time After Filing Massive Charge Sheet

SIT files 3,932-page charge sheet, seeks extra time to continue Dharmasthala probe

November 21, 2025 | 16:32 IST