Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Supreme Court Orders Fresh SIT Probe Into Karnataka Rape-Murder
A 17-year-old girl in Karnataka was raped and killed in 2012.
Her body was found after she failed to return home from class.
Police arrested Santhosh Rao, but he said he was wrongly accused.
Several investigations concluded that Rao committed the crime.
A trial court later acquitted him because it found no evidence linking him to the crime.
The girl’s family believed that other people might have been involved.
The Supreme Court said the earlier investigation was seriously flawed.
It has ordered a new team, called an SIT, to investigate the case again.
The new team must report its findings within three months.
The Supreme Court ordered a fresh investigation into the 2012 rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl in Karnataka.
The court said the earlier investigation by state police, the CID and the CBI “shocks” its conscience.
The court barred officers involved in the earlier investigations from joining the new SIT.
Santhosh Rao was acquitted in 2023 after the trial court found no evidence connecting him to the crime.
The SIT must complete its investigation and submit a report to the concerned court within three months.
- Who
- The Supreme Court, the victim’s family, Santhosh Rao, and a newly appointed special investigation team are involved.
- What
- The Supreme Court ordered a fresh probe into the 2012 rape and murder and overturned the Karnataka High Court’s refusal to order one.
- When
- The crime occurred in October 2012; Rao was acquitted in 2023; the Supreme Court issued its fresh-probe order nearly 14 years later.
- Where
- The crime occurred near Mannasanka in Dharmasthala, in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district.
- Why
- The court found that the earlier investigations were conducted improperly and that the possibility of the real culprit or culprits manipulating the investigation could not be ruled out.
Fresh Probe Advocates
Earlier Investigation Position
Whether the case requires reinvestigation
Fresh Probe Advocates
The victim’s family sought a fresh investigation, suspecting the involvement of three other people, including one person who helped apprehend Rao. The Supreme Court agreed that the earlier probe caused injustice and ordered a new SIT investigation.
Earlier Investigation Position
The earlier investigations by the police, CID and CBI concluded that Rao was responsible for the crime, and he was prosecuted on that basis.
Assessment of the evidence
Fresh Probe Advocates
The Supreme Court said the investigation and the collection and evaluation of evidence were so flawed that the real culprit or culprits might have manipulated the process.
Earlier Investigation Position
The trial court found that there was no evidence or connecting circumstance proving Rao’s involvement and acquitted him.
Role of previous investigators
Fresh Probe Advocates
The Supreme Court barred officers who participated in the earlier investigations from joining the new SIT to ensure a separate probe.
Earlier Investigation Position
The Karnataka High Court had declined the family’s request for a fresh investigation, although it acknowledged that Rao’s acquittal raised the question of who committed the crime.
- Victim
- A 17-year-old girl who disappeared after attending classes on October 9, 2012.
- Crime location
- A bush near Mannasanka in Dharmasthala, Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district.
- Accused prosecuted
- Santhosh Rao, who was arrested after two men handed him to police.
- Trial outcome
- Rao was acquitted of rape and murder charges on June 16, 2023.
- Investigative agencies
- The case was investigated by Belthangady Police, the Criminal Investigation Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
- New investigating body
- A special investigation team must conduct the fresh probe.
- Deadline
- The SIT must complete its investigation and file its report within three months.