Supreme Court orders fresh probe into 2012 rape-murder near Dharmasthala in Karnataka

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:34:00 +0000

A fresh investigation should be concluded within a period of three months and police report shall be filed before the court concerned, SC said. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Supreme Court on Monday (September 21, 2026) ordered fresh investigation into the 2012 brutal rape and murder of a 17-year-old near the bathing ghat on the outskirts of Dharmasthala in Karnataka while expressing shock at the botched-up probe into the incident.

A fresh investigation should be concluded within a period of three months and police report shall be filed before the court concerned, the court said.

The lone accused in the case, Santosh Rao, was acquitted by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in June 2023. The victim’s father had subsequently filed a writ petition in the top court. He had, however, died while the case was pending. The victim’s mother took up the fight for justice for their daughter.

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“Injustice to a person who was falsely charged can always be compensated. However, injustice to the victim who was brutally raped and then murdered can never be compensated. Society would be failing in its duty if it does not provide justice to the victim of such a heinous crime by conducting a proper investigation and bringing the real culprits to book,” a Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva observed in a 49-page judgment.

The petitioner-mother was represented by senior advocates Shobha Gupta and Sanjay Nuli in the court.

Justice Sachdeva, who authored the judgment, said a fair investigation was “as much a part of a constitutional right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution as a fair trial, without which the trial will naturally not be fair”.

“Investigation must be fair, transparent and judicious as it is the minimum requirement of rule of law. The investigating agency cannot be permitted to conduct an investigation in a tainted and biased manner. Where non-interference of the court would ultimately result in failure of justice, the court must interfere,” the judgment stressed.

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The court ordered the fresh investigation and directed the State of Karnataka to constitute a tech-savvy and efficient Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a senior police officer of the State. No officer who was part of the earlier team must be included in the SIT.

The judgment directed that Santhosh Rao should not be subjected to further investigation or prosecution as he had already been tried and acquitted, and was protected under Article 20(2) (double jeopardy) of the Constitution.

“Fresh investigation shall be concluded within a period of three months and the police report shall be filed before the court concerned in accordance with law, whereafter the matter shall proceed in accordance with law,” the Supreme Court ordered.

Published – September 21, 2026 10:04 pm IST

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Woman Gang-Raped In Mysore, Karnataka, Police Arrest 2 Accused

admin — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 16:08:51 +0000

Karnataka police had submitted 1,499 pages of charge sheet linked to the incident. (Representational)

Mysuru:

Karnataka Police have arrested two accused for gang-raping a young woman on Monday who got acquainted with the victim in Mysuru city of Karnataka.

According to police sources, the incident had taken place on Sunday and the victim lodged a complaint with the Vijayanagar police station in Mysuru.

According to preliminary reports, the young woman had met the accused at a pub in Mysuru and after luring her the accused had taken her to a lodge and committed the crime.

Sources said that the police have collected CCTV footage of a young woman partying with one of the accused persons in the pub for a long time. The accused and the victim had consumed more than seven bottles of beer together.

The police have also got the CCTV footage of the victim and the accused normally entering the lodge and departing from there. The accused who was with the victim at the pub had invited one of his relatives to the lodge.

The police are yet to ascertain what exactly happened inside the lodge between the victim and the accused persons. The police stated that the invocation of the BNS Section for gang rape in the FIR is based on the complaint and not on the incident.

The victim has not suffered any injuries and she is safe and normal. The police sources stated that they are verifying the facts of the complaint given by the victim.

The latest incident has brought back the horrific incident of the sensational Mysuru gang-rape case which took place in Mysuru on August 24, 2021. Siddaramaiah was then the Opposition Leader in the Assembly and had come down heavily on the ruling BJP government.

The victim was dragged inside by the rapists when she was sitting and chatting with her friend in a park.

Karnataka police had submitted 1,499 pages of charge sheet in connection with the incident. The victim after college hours had gone to an isolated place near Chamundi Hill with her male friend.

The seven miscreants attacked them, sexually assaulted the lady and demanded Rs 3 lakh ransom from the youth. Later, the victims were admitted to a private hospital. The police had arrested seven persons from Tamil Nadu.

The incident had created a furore in Karnataka as student organisations came to the streets to protest the incident and demanded the arrest of the culprits.

However, the victim had gone back to her native and remained incommunicado with the police for a long time. However, the police kept in touch with her and managed to convince her to give a statement before the magistrate.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Karnataka Rape Case – Artifex.News

Supreme Court orders fresh probe into 2012 rape-murder near Dharmasthala in Karnataka

Search for real culprits

Tech-savvy SIT

Woman Gang-Raped In Mysore, Karnataka, Police Arrest 2 Accused