Arrest of Dharmasthala Complainant Indicates Legal Overreach

Karnataka SIT Arrests Sanitation Worker for Perjury Despite Partial Recovery of Remains

August 24, 2025

The arrest of C.N. Chinnaiah, a former sanitation worker who alleged multiple murders, rapes and secret burials over two decades in and around the Dharmasthala temple area in Karnataka, appears legally premature. It raises serious concerns about the use of criminal charges against a complainant during an incomplete investigation, and about the conduct of the police and investigative authorities in cases involving powerful religious institutions.

Chinnaiah was taken into custody by Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) after the authorities claimed to have found inconsistencies in his statements and documents, as reported by The New Indian Express. He was produced before Judicial First Class Magistrate, who granted the SIT a 10-day remand for custodial interrogation.

The SIT stated that he was arrested for perjury, and police later identified him publicly. He had appeared masked during earlier proceedings.

The SIT had launched its investigation following widespread public attention to Chinnaiah’s allegations and the registration of related complaints. Among those was a case lodged by Sujata Bhat, who later retracted her claim and admitted that she had no daughter named Ananya Bhat, as originally stated. She said she had filed the complaint under pressure, reportedly due to a property dispute.

The SIT excavated seventeen sites identified by Chinnaiah, and human remains were reportedly found in two of them. Others yielded no findings. Some of his former colleagues at the temple reportedly gave conflicting testimony to the SIT.

The Dharmasthala temple, located in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, is among South India’s most visited religious sites, attracting millions of devotees each year. Dedicated to Lord Manjunatha, a form of Shiva, it also houses shrines to Parvati, Jain Tirthankara Chandraprabha, and local guardian spirits.

The temple is uniquely administered by the Jain Heggade family, while rituals are conducted by Hindu Brahmin priests, giving it a reputation for religious inclusivity. Its current dharmadhikari (spiritual and administrative head), Veerendra Heggade, who has led since 1968, wields significant religious, social and political influence, having been awarded the Padma Vibhushan and nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2022. The temple also operates wide-ranging charitable services, including free meals, educational institutions and rural development programmes.

Following the arrest of the complainant, Heggade described the allegations as an attack on Hindu religious institutions and welcomed the arrest. He addressed a gathering of supporters, saying the temple town had been distressed by unfounded allegations.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stated that the government was committed to justice and reiterated that the investigation was ongoing. BJP leaders accused the government of shielding a conspiracy and demanded the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency. They alleged that foreign funding and religious conversion motives were involved in defaming the temple.

A parallel case has been registered against YouTuber M.D. Sameer, whose videos covered the allegations made by Chinnaiah. The SIT served him a notice to appear before investigators. He faces charges, including provoking with intent to cause riot and giving false information.

From a legal perspective, the arrest of Chinnaiah raises questions about the timing and justification of invoking perjury at this stage. Under Indian law, perjury refers to the deliberate act of giving false evidence under oath or fabricating false material intended to mislead a legal or investigative process. A complaint that turns out to be false does not amount to perjury unless there is clear evidence that the complainant knowingly lied with the intention of deceiving the court or the investigators. The law protects individuals who make claims based on what they genuinely believe to be true, even if those claims are later found to be untrue or unprovable. This legal threshold exists to prevent the criminalisation of incorrect or mistaken statements made in good faith.

In this case, human remains have reportedly been found in two locations identified by Chinnaiah. Until forensic examination confirms their origin, age and relevance to the alleged crimes, the investigation remains open. Proceeding with criminal charges against the complainant before these facts are fully established may disrupt the evidentiary process and discourage others from coming forward in sensitive cases.

Public statements by influential religious figures, combined with political efforts to frame the allegations as an attack on Hindu institutions, create conditions that may compromise the independence of the investigation. In such cases, the state has a legal and ethical obligation to protect the rights of complainants and ensure that their personal safety, as well as the integrity of their testimony, is not undermined by external pressure.

Chinnaiah’s decision to appear masked during earlier proceedings indicates a concern for his safety that must be taken seriously in evaluating his conduct and statements.

If law enforcement agencies act in response to political demands or institutional influence, especially in cases involving high-profile religious or social actors, they risk discouraging genuine disclosures and weakening public confidence in legal safeguards. The timing of this arrest, in a case still under active investigation and involving serious allegations, places responsibility on the state to demonstrate that legal standards are being applied consistently and without bias.

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