Mangalore, June 27: A Bengaluru court has issued an arrest warrant for Vitthal Gowda on charges of violating the court’s restraining order against Srikshetra Dharmasthala and Dharmadhikari Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade.
This strict order has been issued under the Contempt of Court case, and the police and court officials are currently conducting a joint operation to find Vitthal Gowda.
The 6th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court of Bengaluru has issued this arrest warrant. This warrant was issued on June 8 itself, and an order has been issued to arrest Vitthal Gowda and produce him in court by June 30.
As the court’s arrest warrant has been handed over, it is likely that Vitthal Gowda has gone into hiding fearing legal action. In this context, court officials who arrived from Bangalore have started an intensive search with the cooperation of the local police of Dakshina Kannada district.
A team of officials has been stationed at various places in Belthangady and Dharmasthala areas, and the search operation has been intensified. The police have also inspected Vitthal Gowda’s home, the residence of his sister Kusumavathi, and most importantly, the residence of Mahesh Shetty Timarodi.
The court had earlier issued a restraining order ordering that no derogatory and baseless statements should be made that would harm the dignity and honor of Srikshetra Dharmasthala and Veerendra Heggade. However, Vitthal Gowda is said to have openly violated the official order of the court, flouting the rules and regulations and continued to make derogatory statements.
Taking this behavior of violating the court order seriously, the court has suo motu issued a contempt of court order to arrest him and produce him before the court by June 30.