Sowjanya's Rape & Murder case; A Sustained Justice System | Opinion

The Sowjanya rape and murder case has once again come to the forefront, thanks to a recent video by Kannada content creator Sameer MD on February 27, 2025. The video has reignited public outrage over the 2012 brutal crime in Ujire, Karnataka, where Sowjanya, a second-year Pre-University student of Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College, was raped and murdered.

Her body was found near the Nethravathi river, cruelly tied to a tree using her shawl. From the very beginning, the case was filled with investigative failures, fabricated evidence, and deliberate attempts to shield the real perpetrators. After years of legal battles, a Bengaluru Sessions Court acquitted the lone accused, Santhosh Rao, on June 16, 2023, citing a flawed and compromised investigation. The court exposed how evidence was either planted or ignored, medical reports were tampered with, and crucial leads were never pursued—ultimately letting the real culprits go scot-free.

Sowjanya's family has relentlessly fought for justice, asserting that Santhosh Rao was a scapegoat while the true criminals remained protected. Despite the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) handling the case, no real breakthroughs were made. Even after Sowjanya’s father, Chandappa Gowda, filed a writ petition seeking a fresh probe, the Karnataka High Court dismissed it in April 2024, stating that “no purpose would be served” by reinvestigating. Chandappa Gowda, who spent over a decade fighting for his daughter’s justice, tragically passed away on January 19, 2025, never witnessing accountability for her murderers.

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The Shameful Silence of the Vokkaliga Community 

Despite such a blatant failure of justice, the so-called guardians of the Vokkaliga community—its leaders and organizations—have remained disturbingly silent. Where is the outrage? Where is the fight for justice for one of their own? Leaders and groups that pride themselves on defending their community are often the first to protest over political and social issues, but when an innocent girl from their own people was raped and murdered, they disappeared into silence.

This exposes the hypocrisy and opportunism of these so-called leaders. Their inaction proves that their concern for the community is nothing more than political grandstanding—they care only about their power, influence, and vested interests, not about true justice. If they were truly committed to protecting their people, they would have united, raised their voices, and fought for justice for Sowjanya’s family.

The lack of action from these organizations is disgraceful. It is a betrayal of their own people. If these leaders cannot stand up for a young daughter of their community who was brutally raped and murdered, then what is their purpose? What is the point of their existence if they fail to protect their own?

Justice Must Prevail 

The tragic case of Sowjanya highlights a stark reality: in this nation, justice is frequently determined by power and privilege, leaving ordinary citizens to silently bear the burden of injustice."

Enough is enough. Justice delayed is justice denied.

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( The author of this article is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com )