Overview
- A preliminary report submitted to the Beltangady court gives the Dharmasthala administration a clean chit and labels the mass‑burial narrative fabricated.
- Six people are named as accused: Chinnayya (A1), Mahesh Shetty Timrodi, Girish Mattannanavar, Jayanth, Vitthal Gowda and Sujatha Bhatt.
- The SIT says A1 was paid, pressured and coached, with staged evidence including a procured skull and scripted videos.
- Probes recovered video clips, bank transaction trails, electronic data and witness statements, and the SIT has asked the court to permit five arrests and grant more time to complete the case.
- The original complainant was earlier arrested after forensic tests found the bones he produced were male, and political leaders have weighed in as the investigation proceeds.