On 11th June, sanitation worker Chinnayya, who had earlier claimed that he had buried bodies of victims at Dharmasthala, has sought directions from the Karnataka High Court to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to file its final report in the case registered at Dharmasthala police station.
In his petition, the worker stated that a conspiracy was hatched by several individuals, activists, YouTubers and others. The aim was to target Dharmasthala and Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade. He sought action against those named in the preliminary enquiry report and requested the court to consider his complaint dated 18th December 2025.
Prakash Raj’s name mentioned in petition
The petitioner further informed the court that Girish Mattannavar, one of the so-called activists involved in the conspiracy, had dialled actor Prakash Raj and handed the phone to him. According to him, Prakash Raj spoke to him in Tamil and told him to tell the authorities whatever Mattannavar had instructed him to say. The actor reportedly promised to come and hug him.
The worker further alleged that Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi told him that the “plan budget” to execute the conspiracy was around Rs 200 crore. He claimed that Thimarodi promised him Rs 50 lakh if he cooperated and ensured that Heggade was sent to prison.
According to the petition, when the worker questioned Thimarodi and Mattannavar about the source of funds for such litigation, they first refused to answer. Later, they told him that money was coming from Kerala and that a woman from Chitradurga was a major source of funding to create disturbance in the holy town.
Worker accused conspirators of intimidation and assault
The petitioner further stated that he was forced to give statements to YouTubers as instructed by the conspirators and was even trained on how to depose before the court. He stated that he was subjected to physical and mental harassment, and that his relatives were held at Thimarodi’s residence for two days and threatened.
He further informed the court that he tried to commit suicide after fearing that his false statement could harm Heggade. He stated that Mattannavar and others stopped him, assaulted him and told him that they needed him alive to give false evidence.
Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued notices to the state government, SIT and others, and adjourned the matter to 29th June.
Prakash Raj called the allegations “hot air”
Responding to the allegations, Prakash Raj issued a statement and called the allegations “hot air”. He said he will soon address the media in person and clear all doubts.
Background of the case
The Dharmasthala mass burial case began after a masked man, claiming to be a former sanitation worker at the Lord Manjunatha shrine, alleged that he was forced to bury bodies of women and minor girls in the temple town between 1995 and 2014. After he lodged a police complaint on 3rd June and submitted skeletal remains before a court, the Karnataka government formed an SIT on 19th July to probe the allegations. However, the case began to fall apart after excavations at several locations identified by him failed to reveal any evidence of mass burials. The skull submitted by him was found to be of a man who had died around 30 years ago, while bone fragments recovered from one site were also said to be of a male. The SIT reportedly dug 17 sites and even used ground penetrating radar, but the claims of mass burial of women and minor girls were not substantiated.
