SC petition seeks bar on Dharmasthala Temple Administrators from filing defamation cases in Karnataka

Bengaluru/New Delhi

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to stop Dharmasthala temple administrators from filing future defamation cases in Karnataka, alleging repeated misuse of the legal process to suppress media reporting on the ongoing mass burials investigation. The petition also challenges a Bengaluru court’s gag order that directed the deletion of 8,842 online links related to the case.

Filed by Third Eye YouTube channel on July 20 through Advocate A. Velan, the plea questions a July 18 ex-parte injunction passed by the X Addl. City Civil and Sessions Court, Bengaluru. The order was issued in a civil suit filed by Harshendra Kumar D, head of the Dharmasthala temple administration, demanding the removal of thousands of media links from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and news portals.

Also Read: (Dharmasthala deaths: 474 suicides in 12 years, 90 women among the dead in temple town, RTI reveals)

The petitioner, named as Defendant No. 51 in the suit, argues that the court granted the sweeping gag order in under three hours without reviewing the vast volume of material. The petition claims the order restricts media freedom and interferes with a criminal investigation already underway.

The case stems from FIR No. 39/2025, filed based on whistleblower allegations of mass burials near Dharmasthala. Following media coverage, a woman named Sujatha filed a complaint on July 15, alleging that her daughter Ananya Bhat had gone missing from Dharmasthala in 2003. She named both Harshendra Kumar and Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, accusing them of abuse and refusing to accept a missing person complaint.

On July 19, the Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations. The official order stated that media reports played a key role in prompting the decision.

In its petition, Third Eye has asked the Supreme Court to quash the civil court’s gag order and impose restrictions on the temple administrators from filing similar defamation suits within Karnataka. It further requests that any future defamation actions be allowed only in courts outside the state, to prevent what it describes as misuse of the legal system and to ensure fair hearing.

The petition also highlights the difficulties faced in seeking urgent legal relief, as no court hearing was possible on Sunday, July 20, when the injunction came into effect.

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