Dharmasthala rape-murder case back in spotlight, SC orders reinvestigation

The Supreme Court has ordered a fresh investigation into the 2012 rape and murder of Sowjanya in Karnataka's Dharmasthala, according to reports. The move reopens an unresolved case after earlier probes and an acquittal left key questions unanswered.The 17-year-old Sowjanya was raped and murdered in Ujire, Karnataka, in 2012. (Image: PTI/File)The 2012 rape and murder of 17-year-old Sowjanya in Karnataka's Ujire is back in the spotlight after the Supreme Court on Monday ordered a fresh investigation into the case, according to reports. The Supreme Court has directed that the reinvestigation in the Dharmasthala case be completed within three months and a report submitted before it.The order comes nearly 14 years after Sowjanya was raped and murdered in October 2012. The case had earlier been investigated by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and later by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but the culprits in her death remain unidentified.The Supreme Court's decision follows a plea by Sowjanya's mother, Kusumavathi Gowda, who sought a fresh probe, alleging that crucial evidence had been overlooked and that there were lapses in the earlier investigations, according to Bengaluru-based Asianet Suvarna News. The Karnataka High Court had dismissed her plea in August 2024, though it had observed that the case raised questions about whether someone else was responsible after the acquittal of the accused.Activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, who has campaigned for a fresh investigation into the case, welcomed the Supreme Court's decision. "We have been saying since the day we started protesting that the Dharmasthala case should be investigated and the Supreme Court should monitor that. Our 14-year-old request has now been heard. I welcome the move by the Supreme Court," Thimarodi told India Today Digital.The Supreme Court's order has renewed hopes among Sowjanya's family and supporters that the circumstances surrounding her death will be investigated afresh. The fresh probe will now have to establish what happened to the 17-year-old in October 2012 and identify those responsible. The Sowjanya case returned to the spotlight in 2025 amid allegations by a former sanitation worker linked to a reputed temple in the region. In a complaint dated June 3, the whistle-blower alleged that he had been forced to bury or burn hundreds of bodies, including those of women and students who he claimed showed signs of sexual assault and murder. He also submitted photographs that he said showed skeletal remains, prompting the Karnataka government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged mass burials.The allegations had also revived demands from activists and Sowjanya's family for the 2012 rape-murder case to be re-examined. However, the SIT's mandate was focussed on the whistleblower's mass-burial allegations, while officials maintained that the Sowjanya case could not be reopened without a court order. The whistleblower was later arrested by the SIT on perjury-related charges, while questions over his allegations and the skeletal remains remained part of the ongoing investigation.WHY IS THE SOWJANYA CASE BEING REINVESTIGATED?Santhosh Rao, who was arrested in connection with the Sowjanya case, was acquitted by the CBI special court in June 2023 for lack of evidence. The acquittal left unanswered the question of who was responsible for Sowjanya's rape and murder.Sowjanya's family had maintained that Rao was wrongly implicated and had alleged serious lapses in the investigation. They have also alleged that the actual perpetrators were shielded.In 2024, Kusumavathi, Sowjanya's mother, approached the Karnataka High Court seeking a fresh CBI investigation. While dismissing her plea on August 20, 2024, the High Court made observations about the need for further investigation, including the possibility that someone other than Rao could have been responsible.The Supreme Court has now ordered a fresh investigation into the case and given the investigating team three months to complete the probe and submit its report. According to Asianet Suvarna News, reports on the order said the court also directed that officers who were part of the earlier investigation should not be part of the new probe.The development marks a fresh turn in a case that has remained unresolved for more than a decade.- EndsPublished By: Avinash KateelPublished On: Sep 21, 2026 13:54 IST