SC admits plea seeking reinvestigation into Soujanya murder, issues notice to State and CBI

Bengaluru/Delhi

A divisional bench of the Supreme Court on Monday admitted a Special Leave Petition (SLP) seeking reinvestigation into the sensational Soujanya murder case and directed that notices be issued to the Karnataka government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), asking both respondents to file their replies.

The petition has been filed by Kusumavati, the mother of the 17-year-old victim Soujanya, who was sexually assaulted and murdered on October 9, 2012, in Dharmasthala. Her body was discovered the following day, triggering widespread outrage. The Belthangady Police initially investigated the case, with the probe later being handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and subsequently to the CBI.

A man identified as Santosh Rao was arrested by the Belthangady police on October 11, 2012. However, in 2023, a Special Court acquitted the lone accused, citing lack of evidence and serious lapses in the investigation. The court had also called for action against officials responsible for the flawed probe.

Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Shobha Gupta contended that the CBI had failed to conduct an independent investigation and had instead relied heavily on findings from the local police and the CID. During the hearing, Justice Sanjay Kumar sought clarification on whether forensic evidence, including semen samples, had been collected, particularly as the victim’s private parts were reportedly smeared with mud. In response, Gupta stated that both semen and hair samples had indeed been collected during the initial investigation.

She further argued that there were at least three suspects widely known in the locality who had not been examined by the CBI, raising serious questions about the thoroughness and integrity of the probe.

The bench, comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Vinod Chandran, formally admitted the petition and directed issuance of notices to the State and the CBI. Gupta also informed the court that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Karnataka government in connection with allegations of mass burials in Dharmasthala, is currently active, and suggested that the reinvestigation could be entrusted to the same body.

Responding to this submission, the bench observed that it would first await responses from the respondents before considering the future course of action.