Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has completed its probe into the 2007 Ayesha Meeran murder case and submitted its final report to the High Court in a sealed cover. The court has deferred further hearing to June 26.
The case, involving the brutal rape and murder of 17-year-old pharmacy student Ayesha Meeran in a hostel bathroom in Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada on December 27, 2007, had triggered widespread outrage across Andhra Pradesh and the country.
Initially investigated by the local police, the case saw the arrest of one P Satyam Babu in 2008. In 2010, a women’s court in Vijayawada sentenced him to ten years in prison for rape and murder. However, in 2017, the High Court acquitted him, citing investigative lapses and procedural flaws.
Following the acquittal, Ayesha Meeran’s parents approached the court, seeking a CBI probe. In 2018, the High Court directed the CBI to reopen the investigation. Over the next several years, the agency re-examined evidence, and in 2019, conducted a second post-mortem on the victim’s remains.
After nearly 11 years of inquiry, the CBI submitted its final findings to the court on Friday.
Ayesha Meeran’s parents, Iqbal Basha and Shamsad Begum, have pursued the case for 18 years, demanding justice for their daughter.
