The Karnataka High Court has set aside a magistrate's order that had accepted a police closure report in the 2022 death of a 15-year-old student who died after coming under a train near Yeshwanthpur. Justice M. Nagaprasanna directed that the case be handed to a fresh investigating officer from a different jurisdiction, with a report to be filed before the trial court within three months.
Background of the Case
Ramya Murthy, a class 9 student at Soundarya School, Hesaraghatta, left home on the morning of 17 February 2022 for her mathematics exam but never reached school. Her body was later found near the railway track between Yeshwanthpur and Chikkabanavara. A death note recovered from her room named the school Principal, a teacher and two classmates, stating "marks is not everything" and that she hated them. A forensic report subsequently confirmed the handwriting was hers.
Her mother, Kavitha Murthy, first approached the police in 2022, but the complaint was not registered over delay. It was only after she moved the State Human Rights Commission that a case under Section 306 read with Section 34 IPC was registered in March 2023.
The first investigation ended in a "B" report (closure report), which the trial court rejected in August 2023, ordering a fresh probe by another officer. The second investigation also concluded with a "B" report, which the magistrate accepted in May 2025, closing the case.
Court's Observations
Justice Nagaprasanna noted that neither investigation had questioned the deceased's classmates adequately, nor given due weight to the death note and the forensic confirmation of her handwriting. The court also flagged that the police had examined the case under the wrong provision, observing that it ought to have been treated as abetment of suicide of a child under Section 305 IPC, not Section 306, which applies to adults.
"The psychological impact of any harassment of the school or teachers on a child, compared to the adult, is different," the court observed, adding that this distinction was overlooked throughout the probe.
The judge also remarked that the second investigation "does nothing new, but repeats the old saga," calling it "a classic case where reinvestigation into the matter must ensue, but not at the hands of the same jurisdictional police."
Decision
The High Court allowed the petition, quashed the magistrate's order dated 03-05-2025 accepting the "B" report, and rejected the report itself. It directed the competent authority to entrust the case to a different investigating officer from outside the original jurisdiction, with the fresh investigation to be monitored and its report placed before the trial court within three months.
Case Details
- Case Title: Smt. Kavitha Murthy vs. State of Karnataka & Others
- Case Number: Criminal Petition No. 17375 of 2025
- Judge: Hon'ble Mr. Justice M. Nagaprasanna
- Decision Date: 05-08-2026
