Supreme Court orders fresh probe into 2012 Dharmasthala rape-murder case

The Supreme Court has set aside a 2024 Karnataka High Court order that dismissed a plea for reinvestigation into the 2012 Dharmasthala rape-murder case. The court has directed the state to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a fresh probe.

The High Court had rejected the reinvestigation plea citing the 'golden hour' logic. However, the Supreme Court found merit in the petition and ordered the authorities to revisit the investigation with a fresh mandate.