2012 Rape-Murder Case: Activists, Dharmasthala Welcome SC Reinvestigation Order

 Mangaluru: Fourteen years after the death of 17-year-old girl in Belthangady taluk, activists who had been demanding a Supreme Court monitored investigation into the case on Monday described the Apex Court’s order for a fresh investigation as a major victory in their long-pending fight for justice.

They said the decision to order a fresh investigation 14 years after the incident was itself a landmark development.

Activist Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, who has been at the forefront of the campaign, said the order had fulfilled a commitment made by him and other activists 14 years ago to continue the fight until an investigation was conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court.

“Sathyameva Jayate. Truth always prevails,” he said, adding that the developments in the case had proved the faith of those who had stood by the campaign.

Recalling the formation of a forum in Belthangady taluk soon after the incident, Timarodi said people from different sections had come together and taken an oath to ensure that the case was properly investigated.

“The assurance then has come true today. I feel as if I am seeing a dream. I feel relieved of the responsibility I had taken up. My fight was that the Supreme Court should give justice, and it has come true,” he said.

He congratulated all those who had participated in the agitation and also thanked the team of advocates who, he said, had fought the case before the Supreme Court without expecting anything in return.

“Our fight will continue till the people behind this are punished,” Timarodi said.

Another activist, Girish Mattannavar, said the Supreme Court’s direction for a de novo investigation was a significant development as the investigating team involved in the earlier probe would not be part of the new investigation.

He said the court had directed that the denovo investigation be completed within three months and a report submitted to it.

Mattannavar termed the direction a landmark development, particularly because it came 14 years after the case.

Meanwhile, Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to allow a fresh investigation into the case.

In a statement, temple office manager K Parshwanath Jain said the decision was welcomed with an open mind on behalf of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala.

He said the Kshetra’s firm stand was that justice should be delivered to the girl and expressed the hope that the fresh investigation would be conducted in a completely impartial and transparent manner and bring the case to a logical conclusion.

The statement also alleged that certain vested interests had, over the years, systematically and continuously carried out a campaign against Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala with an attempt to tarnish its image.

A 17-year-old college student went missing on October 9, 2012, after she failed to return home from college. Her house was about 5 km from Dharmasthala. Her body was found in a nearby forest the following day, October 10.

The Belthangady police began the investigation and arrested Santhosh Rao on October 11. The case was transferred to the CID the next day.

As the girl's family members and activists felt that the investigation was not being conducted properly, the then state government handed over the case to the CBI on March 7, 2013. The CBI subsequently filed a chargesheet against Santhosh Rao.

Based on the CBI chargesheet, Santhosh Rao faced trial before a court in Bengaluru and was acquitted on June 16, 2023. Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by the girl's father, seeking a reinvestigation into the case on August 30, 2024.

Following this, the girl's mother had appealed to the Supreme Court.