Dharmasthala Case: Karnataka Seers Meet Amit Shah, Urge Law On Lines Of SC-ST Act To Criminalise Defamation—Here's What Has Happened So Far

Pontiffs from various mathas in Karnataka met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday (4 Septmber), urging the Centre to bring in legislation on the lines of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to protect saints and temples from defamation, harassment and targeted attacks, the Times of India reported.

The delegation, under the banner Sanatan Sant Niyoga, submitted a memorandum to Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding legal safeguards against insults, violence and online misinformation directed at swamijis, munis, acharyas and community heads.

This comes mid allegations of dubious foreign funding used to fuel communal conspiracies during the ongoing Dharmasthala row.

The seers stressed that while freedom of expression was guaranteed, it could not be stretched to permit defamatory content against religious leaders.

They called for mandatory removal of derogatory content within 24 hours and penalties for both the creators and platforms hosting such material.

The memorandum also recalled earlier incidents, such as the lynching of swamijis in Palghar, Maharashtra, and the death of Acharya Shri Kamakumar Nandi Maharaj in Belagavi in 2023.

Desecration of temples and attacks on pilgrimage centres, they said, should be treated as “crimes against the soul of Hindu and Jain communities.”

The delegation included Jagadguru Sri Vachananand Swamiji, Jagadguru Immadi Siddarameshwara Swamiji, Sri Shantamallikarjuna Swamiji, Jagadguru Purushottamananda Swamiji, Sri Atmaram Swamiji, Sri Rajashekarananda Swamiji, Sri Dharmasena Swamiji, and Sri Sourabhsen Swamiji.

Here's What Has Happened So Far In The Dharmasthala Case:

In July 2025, a former sanitation worker filed a complaint alleging that he was forced to bury over a hundred bodies, mostly of women, minors, and some beggars, many showing signs of sexual violence, at various locations in and around Dharmasthala.

The Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate; the whistleblower pointed out 13 suspected burial sites.

By early August, skeletal remains and a partial skeleton were found at some of these sites, but most produced no evidence of mass graves. The new site is not among the 13 identified by the sanitation worker before.

The temple's managing family, led by Veerendra Heggade, denied all allegations but publicly welcomed the investigation.

The main whistleblower-complainant was arrested for perjury on 23 August, 2025, after authorities alleged that evidence had been falsified; the SIT continues.

The complainant, now under SIT custody until at least 6 September 2025, has disclosed connections with local activists and revealed details of a prior trip to Delhi.

Calls for a central agency probe and further SIT work persist, with religious leaders escalating demands up to the Union Home Minister.

Amid the shocking revelations, a woman who alleged her daughter was killed in Dharmasthala was found to have no daughter.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate is probing allegations of foreign funding linked to the case, raising questions about a larger conspiracy to malign the sanctity of religious institutions in the state.

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