SIT likely to go ahead with trial in Gauri Lankesh and M.M. Kalburgi cases at regular courts, instead of special court

Gauri Lankesh
| Photo Credit: file photo

Even though a Special Fast Track Court to try the murder cases of editor-activist Gauri Lankesh and scholar M.M. Kalburgi has not been constituted over eight months after the Chief Minister ordered officials to begin the process, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is likely to go ahead with the trial at the regular courts where it is on from 2022.

Thursday marks the seventh death anniversary of Gauri Lankesh.

Rights activists and the families of both victims have been demanding speedy trial, as four accused in the Gauri case and two accused in the Kalburgi case have already been granted bail on the grounds of delayed trial.

Where cases stand

Presently, the Gauri case is being heard for one week a month at a court in Bengaluru and the Kalburgi case one day a month at a court in Dharwad. While 137 of 530 witnesses have been examined in the Gauri case, only 12 of 138 witnesses have been examined in the Kalburgi case to date. 

A senior SIT official said in its recent judgement rejecting an appeal against bail to one of the accused in the Gauri case, the apex court had asked for an expedited trial. Following this, SIT has sought a hearing for two weeks a month in the Gauri case and a hearing for at least one day a week in the Kalburgi case. “If we get more time in the courts, we are confident of completing the trials in both cases in less than a year,” a senior SIT official said.

However, a request to constitute a Special Fast Track Court is pending before the High Court of Karnataka. 

Families seek speedy trial

Kavitha Lankesh, sister of Gauri Lankesh, said justice delayed is justice denied.

“It has already been seven years since she was brutally killed. It has been nine years since Kalburgi was killed. The trials in the cases have been painfully slow and it is frustrating. I challenged the bail of one of the accused in the case in the Supreme Court but lost. Many more accused are walking out on bail. A two-time member of Parliament from the State even met an accused released on bail. Special Court or not, what we need is a speedy trial,” she said. 

Srivijaya, son of Kalburgi, expressed disappointment with the slow pace of the trial. “We have decided to petition the court to at least schedule the case one day every week to speed up trial,” he said. 

More accused apply for bail

Four accused in the Gauri case and two in the Kalburgi case have already secured bail from the High Court of Karnataka on the grounds of delay in the trial. The Supreme Court, too, has upheld the bail of Mohan Nayak, accused in the Gauri case. Seven other accused, including alleged mastermind Amol Kale and the alleged shooter and biker Parashuram Waghmore and Ganesh Miskin in the Gauri case, have applied for bail on the same grounds. Meanwhile, another accused in the Kalburgi case has also sought bail, and his petition is pending.