2012 Dharmasthala rape-murder back in spotlight as SC orders reinvestigation
What's the story
The Supreme Court has ordered a fresh investigation into the 2012 rape and murder of Sowjanya, a 17-year-old girl from Karnataka's Ujire. The court has given the investigating team three months to complete the probe and submit a report. For years, Sowjanya's mother, Kusumavathi Gowda, had been alleging that important evidence was missed in earlier investigations by both the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Activist response
Activist welcomes SC's decision
In August 2024, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed Gowda's plea but noted possible involvement of others after sole suspect Santhosh Rao was acquitted by the CBI special court in June 2023.
Sowjanya's body was discovered in a wooded area near Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Yoga and Nature Cure Hospital at Mannasanka.
Her clothes were torn, and her undergarments were missing, according to reports.
New evidence
Case gained renewed attention in 2025
The case gained renewed attention in 2025 after a former sanitation worker alleged mass burials of women and students linked to a temple.
The man said he worked as a cleaner at the temple from 1995 to 2014 and alleged that he had been forced to bury the bodies of hundreds of girls and young women who were allegedly raped and murdered.
He claimed he had been in hiding since 2014 and had returned to quell his nagging conscience.
Investigation scope
Whistleblower arrested on perjury-related charges
The Karnataka government then constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into these allegations.
While the SIT was formed to probe mass burial allegations, officials said the Sowjanya case could not be reopened without a court order.
The whistleblower was later arrested by SIT on perjury-related charges but was acquitted by a CBI special court in June 2023 due to lack of evidence.
This left the question of who raped and murdered Sowjanya unanswered.
Case update
SC sets deadline for new investigation
Sowjanya's family had maintained that Rao was wrongly implicated and alleged serious lapses in the investigation. They also claimed that actual perpetrators were being protected.
In 2024, Sowjanya's mother approached the Karnataka High Court for a fresh CBI investigation. While her plea was dismissed on August 20, 2024, the court observed that further investigation was warranted.
The Supreme Court has now ordered a fresh investigation into the Sowjanya case, with a three-month deadline for completion and report submission.