Sowjanya murder case: Petition in Karnataka HC seeks reinvestigation

Bengaluru: A petition has been filed in the Karnataka High Court seeking a reinvestigation into the Sowjanya rape and murder case.

According to an IANS report, the petition was submitted by the regional director of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, Sheenappa and another person, named Nandeeshkumar Jain. The high court is yet to take up the petition.

The petitioners have also sought legal action against Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi for allegedly issuing abusive statements against famous Dharmastahala Manjunatha temple and judiciary.

Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi has been organising agitations and protests demanding justice in the Sowjanya case.

The petition has made the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, and six others, as parties in the case.

On June 16, 2023, the CBI Special Court acquitted the arrested accused Santhosh Rao of all the charges and the court also ordered a probe against those who investigated the case for turning a blind eye towards collecting crucial evidence in the due course of time. The judgment raised concerns among the public.

It may be recalled that 17-year-old Sowjanya was kidnapped on October 9, 2012, on her way to her home in Ujire near Dharmasthala. She was studying in a private college. The next day her body was found near Nethravathi River, close to her house in the forests.

(With inputs from IANS)