Karnataka woman performs black magic on judge’s dais to sway case, arrested

2 min readBengaluruUpdated: Jul 14, 2026 01:16 PM IST

The white mustard seeds were later noticed by court staff, prompting court authorities to examine CCTV footage from the courtroom. Express Photo/Special Arrangement

A 65-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly performing black magic on a judge’s chair and dais inside a court complex in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapura, believing the ritual would influence the outcome of a pending civil case.

The police said Tuesday that the incident occurred around 9.40 am on July 9 inside the courtroom of the First Additional Senior Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class in Chikkaballapura. Manjula was arrested on July 11 following an investigation into CCTV footage and a complaint lodged by court authorities.

“She was produced before the jurisdictional court and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody,” a police officer said.

Black magic ritual

According to the complaint filed by the court administration, Manjula, a resident of Valasanna Beedi in Chikkaballapura, entered the open courtroom and allegedly scattered white mustard seeds on the judge’s chair and the dais as part of an alleged black magic ritual.

The white mustard seeds were later noticed by court staff, prompting court authorities to examine CCTV footage from the courtroom. The footage allegedly captured Manjula entering the courtroom and scattering the seeds.

Following this, Netra, Chief Administrative Officer, lodged a complaint with the Chikkaballapura Town police, seeking legal action.

Pending case

During the investigation, the police found that a civil dispute involving Manjula’s family is currently pending before the same court. “She is believed to have performed the alleged black magic ritual in the hope that it would alter the outcome of the case in her family’s favour,” a police officer said.

Story continues below this ad

The police said her brother, Venkatarama, is the third respondent in the pending civil suit. Investigators have not disclosed the exact nature of the civil dispute or revealed further details about the case.

The police registered the case under the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017, and are investigating the case.