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Supreme Court orders three-month probe into 2012 rape-murder

By Drooid · Sep 22, 2026, 4:16 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

India’s Supreme Court ordered a fresh probe into the 2012 Karnataka rape-murder.
The court directed Karnataka to form a tech-savvy SIT headed by a senior officer.
No officer from Belthangady Police, CID or CBI may join the SIT.
The SIT must finish its investigation within three months and submit a report.
Acquitted suspect Santosh Rao is barred from further investigation under double-jeopardy protection.

History

Historical Context

2013 Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, passed after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape (Nirbhaya) case, imposed death penalty for repeat rapists. The amendment, drafted by Justice J.S. Verma Committee, increased maximum imprisonment from ten years to death and mandated courts, costing the government INR1.2 billion. Similarly, India's Supreme Court now orders a tech-savvy SIT for the 2012 Karnataka rape-murder, excluding local police and CBI, echoing the 2013 push for investigations. These steps aim to restore public confidence, prompting stricter oversight and potentially reducing future judicial delays in sexual-assault cases nationwide.

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Story summary

India’s Supreme Court ordered a fresh probe into the 2012 Karnataka rape-murder.
The court directed Karnataka to form a tech-savvy SIT headed by a senior officer.
No officer from Belthangady Police, CID or CBI may join the SIT.
The SIT must finish its investigation within three months and submit a report.
Acquitted suspect Santosh Rao is barred from further investigation under double-jeopardy protection.

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