HC quashes civil court’s gag order against media in Dharmasthala burial case

On Friday, the Karnataka high court overturned a broad gag order imposed by a Bengaluru civil court that prevented media organizations, YouTube channels, and individuals from reporting or commenting on the current investigation into purported mass burials of victims of alleged sexual assault and murder occurring over two decades in Dharmasthala.

The court instructed the trial court to re-evaluate the issue anew. Justice M Nagaprasanna permitted a petition from the YouTube channel Kudla Rampage that contested the ex parte interim injunction imposed on July 8, 2025, as reported by Bar and Bench. The civil court ruling had prohibited the release of any “defamatory material” concerning the family managing the Dharmasthala Manjunathaswamy Temple .

“The impugned ex parte injunction order passed by the trial court is quashed. The case is being sent back to the competent court for fresh consideration of the interlocutory application. The trial court should take note of the points made in this order,” the high court said.

It further added, “The competent court should decide the case expeditiously. This court has not expressed any opinion on the civil suit, criminal proceedings, charges, counter-charges. All arguments between the parties are kept open except for one point considered in the order.”

The original injunction was obtained by Harshendra Kumar D, brother of Veerendra Heggade, who sought the removal and de-indexing of over 8,000 digital links — including news reports, social media posts, and videos — alleging they contained defamatory content against him, his family, the Dharmasthala temple, and related institutions.

Welcoming the high court ruling, A Velan, counsel for Kudla Rampage, said in a press statement, “Karnataka High Court did not just pass a judgment; it restored a fundamental pillar of our democracy. The attempt to draw a curtain of silence over a matter of profound public agony and national importance has failed.”

“In a landmark verdict that will resonate far beyond the confines of this case, the High Court has quashed the sweeping and unprecedented gag order that sought to muzzle the media and stifle public scrutiny of the Dharmasthala mass burials case,” Velan said.

He also criticised the trial court’s order: “The trial court’s ex-parte injunction was a textbook example of an unconstitutional ‘prior restraint’ on speech. It was overbroad, passed without jurisdiction, and cast a chilling effect not only on the 338 named respondents but on any media house or individual who dared to report on the case. It sought to criminalize journalism.”

Meanwhile, in Dharmasthala, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) wound up its search operations for the day after failing to locate any human remains at two more spots — Spot 7 and Spot 8 — identified by the complainant.

“Both sites were excavated thoroughly based on the complainant’s directions. However, nothing was recovered from either location today. The investigation at the site has been closed for the day,” an SIT officer said, on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, partial skeletal remains were recovered from Spot 6, including about 15 bones, some of which were broken. A skull was not found, officials confirmed. These remains have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for further analysis, said officials.

“The FSL team is examining the bones already recovered, but the process is likely to take time. Only after detailed analysis can any clarity emerge about the age, sex, and cause of death,” another officer added, also requesting anonymity.

The unidentified whistleblower, a past sanitation employee, claims that several corpses — including those of females and children — were interred on temple-related properties in Dharmasthala from 1995 to 2014. Based on his testimony, thirteen of these sites were recognized during the SIT investigation.

“We’re following standard procedures and coordinating closely with forensic teams. Not every site may yield physical evidence, but we are documenting everything for completeness,” a senior official said.

Home minister G Parameshwara on Friday reviewed the investigation and said the state is monitoring social media posts about the case. “We will keep a watch on posts that may wrongly impact society,” he told reporters after a meeting with senior officials, including chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh.