Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday granted stay on the CBI’s further investigation into the rape and murder of 17-year-old student Sowjanya.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Dhiraj Jain, Uday Jain and Malik Jain who were named as witnesses in the CBI’s charge sheet in the case.

It may be recalled that Sowjanya, a PUC student of SDM?College in Ujire, was raped and murdered on her way back home on October 9, 2012. The CBI had filed a charge sheet naming Santosh Rao as the key suspect and petitioners as eyewitnesses.

Though the charge sheet in the murder case had been filed the CBI court had ordered for further probe following Sowjanya’s father’s plea for further investigation.

The three witnesses have challenged the lower court order contending that once charge sheet has been filed, further investigation cannot be conducted in the same case.

Hearing the petition, Justice Anand Byrareddy granted stay on the CBI’s further investigation into the case.