New Delhi, June 13, 2026 — The controversial Dharmasthala mass burial case has taken a major political and legal turn following explosive claims made in a writ petition filed before the Karnataka High Court. CN Chinnaiah, a former sanitation worker who initially triggered the massive probe by claiming he was forced to bury dozens of bodies over two decades, has now told the court that he was merely a pawn in a massive, multi-crore conspiracy designed to defame the sacred temple town of Dharmasthala and its revered chief, Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade.
In a shocking development that has sent ripples across Karnataka, Chinnaiah’s petition formally drags the name of national award-winning actor and activist Prakash Raj into the legal fray. According to the court filing, activist Girish Mattannavar allegedly dialed Prakash Raj’s phone number during a meeting and handed the device over to Chinnaiah. The petition alleges that the actor spoke in Tamil, instructing the worker to follow whatever instructions Mattannavar gave him, and even promised to come and personally “hug him” later in support.
The scale of the alleged plot detailed in Chinnaiah’s petition is staggeringly massive. He claims that right-wing activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, along with Mattannavar and several local YouTubers, told him that the “plan budget” to pull off the defamation campaign was approximately ₹200 crore. Chinnaiah alleges he was promised a payout of ₹50 lakh if he cooperated fully and successfully gave false evidence that would land Veerendra Heggade in prison. When the worker questioned the conspirators about where such immense funding was coming from, they reportedly admitted that financial support was being funneled to them from networks in Kerala, as well as a prominent woman based in Chitradurga who wanted to incite unrest in the holy town.
This dramatic shift in narrative marks a complete U-turn from mid-2025, when Chinnaiah first emerged as a sensational “whistleblower.” At that time, his gruesome claims that he had spent years secretly burying the bodies of sexual assault and murder victims caused national outrage, forcing the Karnataka government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT). However, the initial momentum of the investigation slowed dramatically after forensic analysts revealed that the bones Chinnaiah produced belonged to a man, directly contradicting his claims that they were the remains of young women and schoolgirls. Following the forensic discrepancies, Chinnaiah was arrested by the SIT for misleading the police.
Now out on bail, Chinnaiah claims he tried to commit suicide out of immense guilt before finally revealing the truth to a magistrate. In his High Court plea, he details severe intimidation, alleging that the conspirators physically assaulted him and held his relatives hostage at Thimarodi’s house to keep him in line. He states that he ultimately could not bring himself to give false testimony against the very temple town where he lived. Frustrated by the SIT’s failure to file a final report months after he confessed to the fabrication, Chinnaiah is now asking the High Court to force the SIT to wrap up its probe and bring the true conspirators to justice.
Responding swiftly to the unfolding controversy, actor Prakash Raj took to social media to firmly reject the allegations. Describing the matter as “extremely sensitive” given that it involves the deep religious faith of millions of devotees, the actor dismissed the claims in the petition as mere “hot air” and rumors. Currently traveling out of the state, Raj promised to hold an exhaustive press conference upon his return to completely clear his name, urging the public not to believe the “wings and feathers” malicious individuals are trying to attach to the case.
The political atmosphere in Karnataka has erupted over these latest revelations. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fiercely seized on the matter, with state leaders demanding that the Congress-led state government immediately make the SIT’s findings public. BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra and General Secretary V. Sunil Kumar launched a scathing attack on the government, arguing that a prominent Hindu religious center was deliberately defamed through a highly coordinated, heavily funded plot. They are demanding to know exactly who financed the alleged ₹200 crore conspiracy and what steps the administration will take to protect the sanctity of the Manjunatheshwara Temple.
Meanwhile, State Home Minister Priyank Kharge has called for calm, stating that the veracity of Chinnaiah’s statements must be thoroughly verified by legal channels before drawing conclusions. Kharge pointed out that the petitioner has a track record of changing his statements over the course of the investigation, rendering his past and present claims highly volatile. Emphasizing that the High Court has already directed the SIT to submit a comprehensive status report by June 29, 2026, the Home Minister reminded the public that simply being named in a writ petition does not automatically make anyone a criminal in the eyes of the law. As the court-monitored investigation intensifies, all eyes are now on the upcoming deadline for the SIT’s official report to see how deep the alleged conspiracy truly runs.