Published Jul 22, 2026 | 9:57 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 22, 2026 | 10:00 PM
The Supreme Court of India. (iStock)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 22 July said it would consider a de novo (fresh) trial in the 2012 rape and murder case of Sowjanya, holding that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) probe had failed to inspire confidence and that serious investigative lapses could not be allowed to defeat the cause of justice.
Directing that the case be tried afresh, the court said the criminal justice system cannot permit deficiencies in an investigation to deny a fair trial.
Sowjanya, a 17-year-old student from Dakshina Kannada district, was raped and murdered in October 2012 in a case that sparked widespread public outrage in Karnataka.
The investigation was later entrusted to the CBI, which filed charges against Santosh Rao. In 2023, a special CBI court acquitted him after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges with credible evidence and pointing to significant flaws in the investigation.
The acquittal prompted protests across Karnataka, with the victim’s family and civil society activists demanding a fresh investigation into the case.
