The Supreme Court on Friday refused to impose a media gag on the Dharmasthala mass burial case in Karnataka, asserting that such restrictions are reserved for the rarest of circumstances. A bench comprising Justices Rajesh Bindal and Manmohan directed a trial court in Karnataka to re-examine a plea filed by Harshendra Kumar D, secretary of the Dharmasthala Temple, who had sought the removal of allegedly defamatory content targeting the temple’s managing family.
While declining to restrict media coverage, the apex court emphasized that it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case and advised the petitioner to present all relevant materials before the trial court for consideration.
The controversy stems from reports on alleged murders of women in Dharmasthala, located in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district. The Karnataka High Court had earlier, on August 1, quashed a gag order issued by a Bengaluru civil court that had restrained media from reporting on the case.
Kumar, in his petition, alleged that nearly 8,000 YouTube channels were circulating defamatory content about the temple and its authorities. On July 23, a separate petition filed by YouTube channel Third Eye was turned away by a CJI-led bench. That petition challenged a sweeping interim gag order issued by a local court, which had directed nearly 390 media outlets to take down around 9,000 links and stories related to the burial case and its alleged connection to the brother of Dharamadhikari D Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala.
The earlier gag order was granted in a defamation suit by Kumar, despite the fact that no formal FIR named him or the temple in the alleged crimes.
Amidst growing public and media scrutiny, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara recently stated that a thorough investigation must be conducted before drawing conclusions regarding the alleged murders. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by the state government to probe the disturbing claims.
