Media Gag Lifted in Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case
HC allows coverage of SIT probe; lower court order against Youtuber struck down.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday quashed a lower court imposing gag orders on media including Youtube channel of Kudla Rampage over publishing or circulating ‘defamatory’ content against Harshendra Kumar, brother of Dharmsthala Dharmadhikari Veenredra Heggade, in relation to mass burials at the pilgrim centre in Dakshina Kannada.
The gag order had been passed by the 10th Bengaluru City Civil and Sessions Court following which Youtuber Kudle Rampage had moved the High Court challenging the order.
A major pilgrim centre, Dharmasthala caught the attention after an ex-sanitation worker attached to the Sri Manjunathaswamy Temple at Dharamsthala alleged that he had buried bodies of several women on the directions from temple authorities from 1995 to 2015. A special investigation team (SIT) is currently probing the case.
The trial court was provided 8.842 links including 4,140 Youtube videos, 932 Facebook posts and content on various social networking sites. The court had ordered removal or de-indexing of already published defamatory content.