Nearly nineteen years after the brutal rape and murder of B Pharmacy student Ayesha Meera in Vijayawada, the case remains unresolved. Despite multiple investigations and years of legal battles, the identity of the real culprits has not been conclusively established. The prolonged delay in justice continues to haunt the victim’s family.
In a significant development today, the CBI court in Vijayawada issued key directions to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The court ordered the agency to hand over Ayesha Meera’s remains to her family following the completion of forensic and legal procedures. This decision comes after the CBI recently exhumed her grave to collect skeletal remains as part of its renewed investigation.
Ayesha Meera was murdered in 2007 in a case that shocked Andhra Pradesh. In the initial stages of the investigation, local police arrested Satyam Babu and named several others as accused. Allegations later surfaced that innocent individuals had been implicated under political pressure in an attempt to close the case quickly. Courts eventually struck down those charges, bringing relief to the accused. However, the core question remained unanswered. Who killed Ayesha Meera?
The CBI later took over the investigation. As part of its efforts to reexamine the evidence, the agency exhumed Ayesha Meera’s remains and conducted further forensic analysis. The findings were submitted before the court. It is still unclear whether the latest report names any suspects or identifies fresh leads.
Following the completion of the forensic process, Ayesha Meera’s parents, Shamshad Begum and Iqbal Pasha, filed a petition seeking the return of their daughter’s remains. After hearing the plea, the Vijayawada CBI court directed the agency to hand over the remains to the family.
With this order, Ayesha Meera’s parents are preparing to perform her last rites once again on the 27th of this month. For a family that has fought for nearly two decades for justice, the reopening of old wounds is painful. Yet their demand remains unchanged. They seek accountability and closure.
The Ayesha Meera case continues to stand as one of the most debated unsolved murder cases in Andhra Pradesh.
