Dharmasthala Sowjanya Assault-Murder Case: Supreme Court Orders Fresh Probe After 14 Years
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The 2012 rape and murder of 17-year-old Sowjanya in Karnataka’s Ujire has returned to the spotlight after the Supreme Court ordered a fresh investigation into the case on Monday. The court has directed that the reinvestigation be completed within three months and a report submitted before it.
Sowjanya was raped and murdered in October 2012. The case was investigated first by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and later by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but the person responsible for her death has not been identified.
Sowjanya’s Mother Sought Fresh Investigation
The Supreme Court’s order came after a plea by Sowjanya’s mother, Kusumavathi Gowda, who alleged 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. However, while doing so, it had raised questions over whether someone other than the accused could have been responsible for Sowjanya’s death.
Santhosh Rao, who had been arrested in connection with the case, was acquitted by a CBI special court in June 2023 due to 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 alleged that the actual perpetrators were shielded.
Supreme Court Sets Three-Month Deadline
The Supreme Court has now ordered a fresh investigation and directed the investigating team to complete the probe within three months and submit its report.
According to reports by Asianet Suvarna News, the court also directed that officers involved in 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 nearly 14 years.
Activist Welcomes Supreme Court Order
Activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, who has campaigned for a fresh investigation, 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.
2025 Mass-Burial Allegations Brought Case Back Into Focus
The Sowjanya case returned to public attention in 2025 after allegations made by a former sanitation worker associated with a reputed temple in the region.
In a complaint dated June 3, the whistleblower alleged that he had been forced to bury or burn hundreds of bodies, including women and students who he claimed showed signs of sexual assault and murder. He also submitted photographs that he said depicted skeletal remains.
The allegations prompted the Karnataka government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine the alleged mass burials.
The SIT’s mandate, however, was focused on the mass-burial allegations. Officials had 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 surrounding his allegations and the skeletal remains remained part of the investigation.
The Supreme Court’s fresh order now brings the 2012 Sowjanya case back under investigation, with the new probe tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding her death and identifying those responsible.
