PIL seeking reinvestigation of Soujanya murder withdrawn
Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka allowed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking reinvestigation of the Soujanya murder case to be withdrawn. The division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit allowed the petitioner to withdraw the case after it refused to order a reinvestigation of the case.
Soujanya, a 17-year old student from Ujire near Dharmasthala was kidnapped, raped and murdered on October 9, 2012.
The petition had prayed for a direction to conduct a fresh or de-novo (anew) investigation or re-investigation monitored by the High Court through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other premier independent investigation agency or by forming a special investigation team (SIT).
The HC, however, observed that it was for the State, original complainants or the victim's family to seek a reinvestigation. It also pointed out that the law provides for an appeal in which the lapses of investigation can be raised. The Court also suggested that the present petitioners could help the victim's family to file an appeal. The PIL was disposed of with the petitioners withdrawing it.
The petition had also sought appropriate action against erring officials in the earlier round of litigation in view of the observations made by the trial court in the case. The petition also sought guidelines to be issued by the HC with regard to the investigation during the golden hours after the crime in cases like murder and rape.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
