Dharmasthala case: Belthangady court rejects bail to Chinnaiah

Mangalore Today News Network

Belthangady, Sep 17, 2025: A Belthangady court on Tuesday rejected the bail application filed by 45-year-old Chinnaiah, the complainant in the Dharmasthala case, who is in judicial custody since September 6.

The Additional Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class, T. H. Vijayendra, said the case against Chinnaiah was serious and presently under investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Under this circumstances it was not appropriate to grant bail to him, the magistrate said in his order on Tuesday.

The SIT arrested Chinnaiah on August 23 for perjury after it was found that the skeletal remains, which he had produced before the magistrate at the time of recording his statement, were found to be of a male. He had stated in his oath that he had produced skeletal remains of a female.

In addition to Section 211(a) (Omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to given it) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the SIT booked Chinnaiah under Sections 227 (giving false evidence), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 229 (punishment for false evidence), 230 (fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence), 231 (fabricating evidence with intent to procure conviction of life imprisonment), 236 (false declaration), 240 (giving false information), 248 (false charge), and 336 (forgery) of the BNS.

After questioning Chinnaiah for 14 days and carrying out a search at two houses in Belthagady, the SIT produced him before the magistrate, who remanded him to the prison in Shivamogga on September 6.

He then filed a bail application before the magistrate. As he did not have any counsel, the court arranged services of an advocate, through the district legal services authority, who argued for grant of bail to Chinnaiah.