2012 Soujanya rape and murder case: Plea seeks fresh investigation, Karnataka HC issues notice

Karnataka: The Karnataka High Court has sought the responses of the State government and the Central Bureau of Investigation in a plea seeking a fresh investigation into the 2012 case of rape and murder of 17-year-old Soujanya. 

Soujanya was a student of SDM College, Ujire, near Dharmasthala, in Dakshina Kannada district.

In the case before the trial court, it had acquitted the accused.

A single-judge bench of Justice K Natarajan issued notices while hearing a petition filed by Sowjanya’s father, Chandappa Gowda. The judge also placed the matter before the Chief Justice for moving it to a division bench in line with the request made by the advocate for the petitioner. The advocate had requested the court to tag the petition along with an appeal, filed by the CBI against the trial court’s verdict of acquitting the sole accused, which is pending consideration before a Division Bench.

“Learned HCGP is directed to take notice for respondents No.1 to 7. Sri. Prasanna Kumar is directed to take notice for respondents No.8 and 9. Learned counsel for the petitioner has filed a memo stating that there is an acquittal judgment passed by the Trial Court which was challenged by respondent No.9 which is pending before the Hon'ble Division Bench in Crl.A. No.2150/2023 and requests this Court to list this matter before the Division Bench along with the said appeal. The submission of the learned counsel for the petitioner is placed on record. Registry is directed to obtain necessary permission from the Hon'ble Chief Justice and post the matter before the appropriate division bench having roster along Crl.A. No.2150/2023 (A)”, the Court’s order recorded. 

According to the plea, a Special Investigation Team should be formed to reinvestigate the case in order to identify the culprits because the trial court had cleared accused Santhosh Rao. It further contended that the first police inquiry was flawed and that action should be taken against the erring officer. 

The petitioner contended that the CBI’s investigation did not attempt to unearth the faults committed by the original investigation officer attached to the Belthangady police station in nabbing the real culprits. 

Notably, in 2018, the petitioner had filed a plea seeking a re-investigation and the High Court in 2021 dismissed the same.