Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Karnataka Forms SIT for Fresh Probe into 2012 Dharmasthala Case
Soujanya was a 17-year-old student in Karnataka who disappeared while returning home in October 2012.
Her body was found the next day near Mannasanka, close to Dharmasthala.
Police treated the case as rape and murder.
Local police, the Karnataka CID and the CBI investigated the case at different times.
Santhosh Rao was prosecuted as the only accused but was acquitted in 2023 because the court found the evidence insufficient.
The Supreme Court later ordered that the case be investigated again from the beginning.
It said officers from the earlier investigations could not join the new team.
Karnataka has now created a five-member SIT for the fresh probe.
The team must finish its work and send a report to a court within three months.
Karnataka has formed a five-member SIT to reinvestigate the 2012 rape and murder of 17-year-old Soujanya near Dharmasthala.
The team is headed by Inspector General of Police N. Shashikumar and includes four other senior officers.
The Supreme Court ordered a fresh de novo investigation on September 21, 2026, barring officers involved in earlier probes from joining the SIT.
Belthangady police, the Karnataka CID and the Central Bureau of Investigation previously investigated the case; Santhosh Rao was acquitted in 2023.
The SIT must complete its investigation and submit a report to the competent court within three months.
- Who
- The Karnataka government, the Supreme Court of India, the new SIT, Soujanya and previously prosecuted accused Santhosh Rao are connected to the case.
- What
- A five-member SIT has been constituted to conduct a fresh investigation into Soujanya's 2012 rape and murder.
- When
- Soujanya disappeared on October 9, 2012; the Supreme Court ordered a fresh probe on September 21, 2026; and the government order was dated September 24, 2026.
- Where
- The case concerns Mannasanka near Dharmasthala in Belthangady taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka.
- Why
- The Supreme Court directed a new investigation after the earlier case ended with Santhosh Rao's acquittal and concerns about the adequacy of the investigation.
Fresh-Probe Supporters
Investigative and Institutional Concerns
Need for a new investigation
Fresh-Probe Supporters
The Supreme Court and the victim's family sought a fresh probe because the earlier investigation did not conclusively establish the crime and Santhosh Rao was acquitted.
Investigative and Institutional Concerns
The Supreme Court directed the SIT to conduct the investigation independently and without being influenced by the court's order, while protecting Rao from a second prosecution.
Claims about other suspects
Fresh-Probe Supporters
The victim's family and some locals questioned whether influential local youths should have been investigated; a special CBI court had previously asked that their possible role be examined.
Investigative and Institutional Concerns
The Karnataka High Court overturned that direction in 2021, and the BJP later alleged that a separate Dharmasthala burial investigation was part of an effort to malign temple authorities.
Responsibility for the earlier outcome
Fresh-Probe Supporters
The special CBI court recommended action against officials it said may have mishandled the early investigation and caused the loss of evidence.
Investigative and Institutional Concerns
The acquittal court found that the CBI had not produced sufficient evidence establishing a direct link between Rao and the crime.
- SIT head
- N. Shashikumar, an Inspector General of Police-rank officer who was awaiting posting.
- Other SIT members
- C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Nisha James, Lokesh Jagalsar and Venkatesh Prasanna.
- Investigation deadline
- Three months to complete the fresh investigation and submit a final report to the competent court.
- Earlier accused
- Santhosh Rao was prosecuted as the sole accused and acquitted by a special CBI court on June 16, 2023.
- Earlier investigations
- The case was investigated by Belthangady police, the Karnataka CID and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
- Supreme Court restrictions
- The new SIT must use efficient investigators and modern investigative technology; officers involved in earlier probes cannot join it, and Rao cannot be tried or prosecuted again.
- Legal authority
- The SIT was designated as a police station under Section 2(1)(u) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and authorised to submit a report under Section 193.
- Reported name discrepancy
- One report spells the intelligence officer's name as Nikhila James rather than Nisha James; reports also differ between C.H. and C.K. for Sudheer Kumar Reddy.
Sources
After Supreme Court order, new SIT set up to probe 2012 Karnataka rape-murder
Karnataka Forms SIT for Fresh Probe into 2012 Rape-Murder Near Dharmasthala
Karnataka govt sets up SIT for fresh probe into 2012 rape-murder of 17-yr-old in Dharmasthala
