18 yrs on, CBI court notice to Ayesha Meera’s parents in murder case

Hyderabad: The brutal murder of B Pharmacy student Ayesha Meera inside her hostel near Vijayawada 18 years ago remains unresolved, with her family stating that “even an independent agency like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has failed to deliver justice.”

Ayesha Meera’s parents receive notice from CBI court

Shamshad Begum and Iqbal Basha, parents of 17-year-old Ayesha Meera, who was murdered in the bathroom of her hostel in West Ibrahimpatnam on December 27, 2007, have received a notice from the CBI Court in Vijayawada.

They have been directed to appear on September 19 and give their opinion on framing rape and murder charges against Pidathala Satyam Babu, who was acquitted by the Telangana High Court in 2017.

CBI’s report to HC

The CBI had submitted its report to the High Court in a sealed envelope on June 20, seeking permission to file its final report with the CBI Court in Vijayawada on September 19. However, the court denied Ayesha’s parents access to the report, asking them to approach the trial court for it.

Speaking with the media on Saturday, September 13, Shamshad Begum questioned how they could give their opinion without looking at the CBI report.

“We have been saying from the beginning that Satyam Babu was innocent. The CBI is not doing anything different from what the police did in their investigation. They are not focusing their investigation on those who were involved,” she alleged.

Recalling how they even went against their traditions and performed a re-postmortem of their daughter’s body, she expressed hopelessness in the way she and her husband were being asked to appear before the courts with no closure for almost two decades.

Powerful people shielding real culprits: Ayesha’s parents

Ayesha’s parents have been alleging from the beginning that there were powerful people who have been shielding the real culprits.

In 2008, Satyam Babu was arrested and charged with rape and murder. He was convicted by a lower court in 2010. However, the High Court acquitted him in 2018, citing a lack of evidence. Satyam Babu had already served an 8-year jail term by then.

After public outcry, a public interest litigation and petition filed by her parents, the case was handed over to the CBI in 2018.