Bengaluru: The Dharmasthala temple family has approached the Supreme Court challenging the quashing of a restraining order against a YouTube channel accused of telecasting defamatory content related to the mass grave case.
The matter is scheduled to be heard on Friday (August 8) by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, along with Justices S.C. Sharma and K. Vinod Chandran.
Harshendra Kumar D., Secretary of the Dharmasthala Temple Institution and brother of BJP Rajya Sabha member and Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade, has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) questioning the Karnataka High Court’s order in this regard.
The counsel representing Harshendra Kumar submitted that various YouTube channels are broadcasting defamatory content against the family managing the temple affairs at Dharmasthala, one of the most prominent Hindu pilgrimage centres in the state.
The counsel further stated that about 8,000 YouTube channels are running a defamatory campaign against the temple authorities and requested that the matter be scheduled for hearing on Friday. The bench informed the counsel that the matter is indeed scheduled to be heard tomorrow.
The High Court bench, headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, had earlier quashed the ex-parte gag order related to a YouTube channel in connection with the mass grave case. The bench observed that the lower court had granted a mandatory sweeping injunction that threatened to silence any voice against Harshendra Kumar, his family, and the place Dharmasthala.
The development has assumed significance following the situation in the temple town of Dharmasthala turned tense following an assault on YouTubers near Nethravathi Pangala Cross on Wednesday (August 6) evening, in connection with the ongoing mass grave case.
Police stated that local residents assaulted the YouTubers, accusing them of spreading false information about the Hindu pilgrimage centre and its temple management.
According to authorities, two to three cars were damaged in the incident, and police had to resort to cane-charge to disperse the mob. Four persons, including three YouTubers, were admitted to a private hospital for treatment.
Soon after, another group arrived at the scene in support of the YouTubers, leading to confrontations with the locals. Both groups engaged in fistfights and stone-pelting.
In a major development on July 11, an unidentified complainant—who claimed he had been forced to bury the bodies of women and girls who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala—appeared before a court in Mangaluru district and recorded his statement. He requested that the bodies be exhumed in his presence and alleged that the victims bore clear signs of sexual assault. According to him, the bodies were found without clothing or undergarments and had injuries consistent with violent sexual abuse.
These revelations have sent shockwaves across Karnataka.
Following the claims, a retired Supreme Court judge and several activists have demanded a Supreme Court- or High Court-monitored SIT probe into the alleged Dharmasthala murders, which may involve the deaths of multiple women, girls, and destitute men. The issue has sparked widespread controversy and received extensive media coverage.
(IANS)
