Overview
- The Supreme Court ordered the fresh reinvestigation on Monday and directed a compliance report to be filed within three months.
- Earlier probes by Karnataka CID and the CBI failed to identify who killed 17-year-old Sowjanya and a CBI special court acquitted the main accused on June 16, 2023, finding the prosecution had not proved the case.
- The trial court had asked for an acquittal committee to examine investigative errors and the Supreme Court’s order, according to reports, bars officers from the earlier probes from joining the new team to avoid repeat lapses.
- Sowjanya’s mother, Kusumavathi Gowda, whose persistent petitions and activism pushed the case back to the courts, said the order renews hope for answers despite expected hurdles such as degraded evidence and fading witness memory.
- The reinvestigation could prompt accountability for past failings and shape how courts supervise cold-case probes, and observers will watch which agency or state-led special team is appointed and whether the three-month deadline is met.