Mysuru, Karnataka: In a sensational development that has sent shockwaves across Karnataka, a woman believed to be murdered by her husband two years ago appeared alive in a Mysuru court this week — completely turning the case on its head.

The woman, identified as Kavya (name changed), had gone missing in 2022. Her sudden disappearance led her family to suspect her husband, Ramesh (name changed), of foul play. Acting on their complaint, the local police conducted a brief investigation and arrested Ramesh. Without any confirmed body or conclusive forensic evidence, he was tried and convicted of his wife’s “murder,” and sentenced to prison.

However, in a twist that feels straight out of a crime thriller, Kavya walked into the Mysuru District Court on Monday, alive and well. According to her statement, she had not been murdered at all — rather, she left her marital home voluntarily due to mental and emotional distress. She had been living under a new identity in another state, working in a garment factory to support herself.

The dramatic reappearance has raised serious questions about the investigation process followed by the police and judiciary. How was a murder conviction secured without a body or post-mortem report? Why wasn’t the possibility of her voluntary disappearance explored thoroughly?

Ramesh’s legal counsel has filed a petition for his immediate release and compensation for the wrongful conviction, citing trauma, social stigma, and loss of livelihood.

“This is not just a failure of policing but of the entire system,” said one of the senior advocates present during the hearing. “Convicting a man for murder without recovering a body is a grave lapse of justice.”

The Mysuru Police Commissioner has announced a departmental inquiry into the lapses in investigation. Meanwhile, the woman is currently under protective custody as her statement is being recorded and verified.

The case has reignited debates around the need for forensic accountability, thorough investigation standards, and safeguards to prevent wrongful imprisonment.

As the case unfolds, public outrage is building, with many demanding justice not just for the woman, but for the man who lost two years of his life for a crime that never happened.