In a significant development for press freedom and public interest, the blanket media gag order on the Dharmasthala mass burial allegations has been lifted. A Bengaluru court on Wednesday rejected the Dharmasthala temple administration’s plea to continue the interim injunction that restrained news outlets and social media from reporting on the case.
Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Anitha M dismissed the application, effectively ending the sweeping gag order that had barred media reportage since July 21. A detailed written order is awaited.
The controversy stems from a startling police complaint filed by a former sanitation worker of the DharmasthalaManjunathaswamy Temple. The worker alleged that he was forced by temple supervisors to bury multiple bodies over nearly two decades—claims that sparked widespread media coverage and public discourse.
Although the complaint did not name any specific accused or suggest foul play, the revelations led to a defamation suit by Harshendra Kumar, Secretary of the temple institutions. The suit listed a staggering 8,842 links across platforms—over 4,000 YouTube videos, thousands of Facebook and Instagram posts, and several tweets, articles, and Reddit posts—alleged to be defamatory.
On July 21, then presiding Judge Vijay Kumar Rai issued a blanket injunction on reporting until August 5. However, questions of judicial conflict emerged when journalist Naveen Soorinje pointed out that Judge Rai was an alumnus of the SDM Law College in Mangalore, an institution run by the Dharmasthala Trust. Acknowledging the potential perception of bias, Judge Rai recused himself and the matter was transferred.
Appearing before the new judge, Harshendra Kumar argued that the Karnataka High Court’s recent order lifting the gag applied only to the YouTube channel Kudla Rampage and sought continuation of the ban against all other parties. Advocate Sakshi Satish, representing Kudla Rampage, opposed this claim, arguing that the High Court had held the initial injunction to be legally untenable and violative of procedural law.
Judge Anitha M agreed and dismissed the plea, thereby lifting restrictions on all media coverage related to the case.
This ruling marks a crucial moment for transparency, especially in matters involving public faith institutions. While the truth behind the mass burial allegations remains under investigation, the court’s decision to strike down censorship sends a strong message about upholding constitutional principles of free expression.
—Advocate Shivmani Yadav contributed to this report
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