A High Court-monitored Inquiry Is Karnataka’s Last Chance To Redeem Justice In The Dharmasthala Horror

What began as isolated murmurs has now snowballed into a full-blown moral and legal crisis. Dharmasthala — long held up as a sacred and benevolent spiritual centre — today finds itself under a cloud of the most damning allegations: systemic disappearances, rapes, and murders of girls and women, allegedly aided by state silence. With over 450 reported missing females in the region over four decades, including schoolgirls and college students, the Karnataka government has reached a point where denial is no longer an option.

The recent complaint by Sujatha Bhat, mother of missing medical student Ananya Bhat, comes as a chilling reminder that the horror of Soujanya Gowda’s rape and murder in 2012 was not a one-off case — it was part of a disturbing pattern. Names like Vedavathi and Padmavathi continue to haunt local memory, and now, a former sanitation worker from Dharmasthala temple has publicly claimed he was forced to bury the bodies of rape and murder victims — including underaged girls — over a span of 2 decades.

This is no longer a “sensitive” issue to be handled with platitudes and administrative silence. This is a constitutional emergency of justice. What is now required is, considering the number of cases on hand,  a High Court or Supreme Court-monitored inquiry — with full statutory backing, complete independence, and uncompromising public transparency. Only a sitting  judge of unimpeachable integrity from the High Court or Supreme Court can command the authority, independence, and credibility necessary to unearth the truth behind decades of disappearances, rapes, and murders around Dharmasthala.

And crucially, this cannot be just another government-formed "committee" of pliant officials. The investigation must be led by a dedicated team of senior IPS officers of unimpeachable integrity — on the lines of the state’s response in the Prajwal Revanna sexual assault case, where multiple women’s allegations triggered a swift response involving multiple senior officers, including women IPS officers and legal oversight.

In that case, the state was proactive. The police hierarchy responded. Special teams were formed within days. The accused, despite being politically powerful, was not allowed to hide behind institutional cover. That template must now be applied to the Dharmasthala atrocities — with the same urgency, the same seriousness, and the same commitment to truth.

A case of this magnitude must be headed by a senior, respected IPS officer like Pranav Mohanty, known for his impartiality, courage, and track record in tackling politically sensitive cases. He must be empowered to:

·        Reopen all FIRs and closed missing-person files linked to the Dharmasthala region from 1980 onwards;

·        Forensically audit cremation and burial records maintained by the temple and local authorities;

·        Provide protection to whistleblowers, including the sanitation worker who came forward despite the threat to his life;

·        Examine links between the victims and influential institutions or individuals who may have obstructed justice.

This is not merely about individual cases. This is about dismantling a 40-year-old ecosystem of silence, complicity, and impunity. If the state can mobilize its best officers to protect the dignity of women in high-profile political cases, why not for those from the poorest, most voiceless sections of society?

Justice must not depend on who the victim is — or who the accused might be.

If Karnataka wants to prove it is still governed by the rule of law, it must act now. No more excuses. No more selective enforcement. No more silence.

Let the High Court take charge. Let an independent, empowered, and fearless police team led by officers like Mohanty investigate every file, every grave, and every cover-up. The truth, long buried — sometimes literally — must be unearthed.

Before another Ananya. Before another Soujanya. Before it’s too late.