New Delhi : 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. 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 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.
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 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.
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. 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.
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.
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