Dharmasthala: Belthangady Court Rejects Bail Plea Of Chinniah
Chinniah, who worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, had triggered a storm in July when he alleged that he was forced to dispose of bodies of murder and sexual assault victims
Mangaluru: A Belthangady court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of Chinniah, the sanitation worker arrested on charges of perjury in connection with the alleged secret burial case in Dharmasthala.
The bail application was placed before the Additional Civil Judge and JMFC in Belthangady, which denied relief. Chinniah is currently lodged in Shivamogga prison.
Chinniah, who worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, had triggered a storm in July when he alleged that he was forced to dispose of bodies of murder and sexual assault victims. On July 3, he filed a complaint, following which he was given protection under the Witness Protection Scheme. His identity was initially kept under wraps.
Days later, on July 11, he appeared before a magistrate, recorded his statement, and handed over skeletal remains which he claimed to have exhumed. The state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) after his explosive charges that multiple bodies had been secretly buried in Dharmasthala. Excavations were subsequently carried out at 17 locations, but human remains were confirmed only at two spots — one excavated at Spot No. 6 and another on the ground, beneath a tree near Spot No. 11.
When it was revealed that the remains Chinniah submitted were of a male, contrary to his claim that they belonged to a woman, was booked for perjury, arrested on August 23, and placed under 12 days of SIT custody. His custody was extended until September 6, after which the court sent him to judicial custody. He was shifted to the prison in Shivamogga district.
The bail plea moved on his behalf has now been rejected.
