Bengaluru: A petition filed by Purandara Gowda, the maternal uncle of Sowjanya (the 17-year-old who was raped and murdered in Dharmasthala in 2012), and co-petitioner Tukaram Gowda, has compelled the Karnataka High Court to issue notices to the SIT (Special Investigative Team) over grave allegations of clandestine deaths and secret burials in Dharmasthala village.

In the PIL, petitioners state that local residents have identified multiple locations where corpses were allegedly concealed and buried secretly over many years. A former sanitation worker, who served in Dharmasthala from 1995 to 2014, claims to have buried bodies of rape victims, victims of disappearance, and murder under pressure, and to have been threatened to keep silent. One such site, “Bangle Hill”, yielded skeletal remains during an SIT inspection on September 6.

The petitioners demand that the SIT be vested with full authority to inspect these sites, carry out exhumations, allow oversight or presence of petitioners, and furnish periodic progress reports to the High Court. Should the SIT fail or be unwilling, the petition requests appointment of a retired judge as a Court Commissioner to personally inspect, report, and ensure transparency.

Grounds cited are constitutional guarantees — the right to life under Article 21, dignity of deceased persons, transparency in investigations, and restoring public trust in the judiciary and law enforcement. The petitioners explicitly note that this plea is not to criticise or hamper the SIT but to strengthen its mandate. The High Court, in a single-judge bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, has issued notice to the SIT and directed Special Government Advocate B. N. Jagadeesh to procure and submit information. The matter is next listed for hearing on September 18.