After nearly 14 years and two unproductive probes in the Dharmasthala rape and murder case, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered a fresh investigation. The top court has ordered the reinvestigation to be completed within three months, and the final report be submitted before it.
The fresh order by the apex court follows a plea by the 7-year-old victim's mother, Kusumavathi Gowda, who demanded a fresh probe alleging crucial evidence was overlooked and there were lapses in the earlier probes.
The fresh probe will establish the circumstances around the rape and murder of the teen victim in October 2012. The case had earlier been investigated by the state CID and the CBI. However, the perpetrator remains unidentified.
What is the case?
On October 9, 2012, the 17-year-old student went missing while returning home in Dharmasthala. The next day, her body was found in the woods with signs of severe torture, sexual assault and strangulation.
A mentally challenged man, Santosh Rao, was arrested in the case by police. However, local activists and the victim's family alleged that Rao was falsely implicated to shield an influential accused.
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Due to persistent public protests and scrutiny, the investigation was transferred to Karnataka CID and then later to CBI.
In June 2023, a special CBI court acquitted Rao, citing lack of evidence and severe lapses in the initial investigation. After 11 years, the accused was still out of the clutches of the law.
In 2024, the victim's mother filed a petition seeking a fresh CBI probe; however, her plea was rejected. Though, the court observed that the case raised questions about whether someone else was responsible after the acquittal of the accused.
2025 mass burial and whistleblower allegations
In July 2025, the case took a fresh turn after a masked whistleblower, a Dalit sanitation worker employed by local administration between 1995 and 2014, made shocking allegations that he was threatened to death and forced to bury bodies, mostly young women and minors, in a nearby forest and along the Netravathi River.
He alleged that he buried over 100 bodies, with many showing clear evidence of sexual assault, torture and chemical burns.
The Karnataka government formed an SIT to investigate the claims made by the whistleblower. Instead of the anticipated pile of remains, the probe team found scattered skeletal remains.
Even the bones submitted by the complainant, labelled as belonging to a female, were found to be of a male. The whistleblower was arrested on August 23, 2025, for perjury and fabricated claims.