Supreme Court orders fresh probe into Sowjanya case, sets 3-months deadline

Supreme Court orders fresh probe into Sowjanya case, sets 3-months deadline

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, September 21, 2026: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a fresh investigation into the 2012 rape and murder of Sowjanya in Ujire near Dharmasthala, directing that the reinvestigation be completed within three months and a report submitted before the court.

The order came on a petition filed by Sowjanya’s mother, Kusumavathi, who had sought a fresh probe, alleging lapses in the earlier investigations and that crucial evidence had not been properly examined.

The case was initially investigated by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI had arrested Santhosh Rao in connection with the case, but a special CBI court acquitted him in June 2023, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

Following the acquittal, Sowjanya’s family continued to seek a fresh investigation. Kusumavathi approached the Karnataka High Court in 2024, but her plea was dismissed.

She subsequently moved the Supreme Court.

During an earlier hearing in July, the Supreme Court had expressed serious concerns over the manner in which the CBI investigation had been conducted. The bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva questioned whether the investigation had been independent and criticised the reliance on material gathered during earlier probes.

The Supreme Court has now ordered a fresh investigation, bringing a new turn to a case that has remained unresolved for nearly 14 years. The court has directed the investigating authorities to complete the reinvestigation and submit a report within three months. The fresh probe is not a finding of guilt against any individual; the person responsible for Sowjanya’s death remains legally unidentified.