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The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a fresh investigation into the 2012 rape and murder case of 17-year-old Sowjanya in Dakshina Kannada’s Belthangady, following a direction from the Supreme Court.
The SIT was formed through a government order dated September 24, a day after the Supreme Court’s direction. The Supreme Court had ordered a de novo investigation into the brutal rape and murder, originally registered by Belthangady police and later re-registered by the CBI’s Special Crime Branch in Chennai.
The five-member SIT will be headed by Inspector General of Police(IGP) N Shashi Kumar, with CH Sudheer Kumar Reddy, DIG and police commissioner of Mangaluru City, Nisha James, SP, Intelligence Bengaluru, Lokesh Jagalasar, SP, CID Bengaluru and Venkatesh Prasanna, Additional SP Bengaluru Rural as members.
The Supreme Court had specifically directed that officers who were part of the earlier investigations by Belthangady Police, the CID or the CBI should not be included in the new SIT. It also directed that the fresh investigation be completed within three months, following which the police report is to be filed before the appropriate court.
The court also clarified that its order should not be construed as expressing even a prima facie opinion on the role of any individual, including Mallik Jain, Dheeraj Jain and Uday Jain (people who Sowjanya’s family suspect committed the crime).
Santosh Rao, who was tried and acquitted by the Sessions Court in connection with the case, will not be subjected to further investigation or prosecution in the matter, the Supreme Court said.
The government order said the SIT will investigate the case in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions and submit its report as required under law.
