Six Years Later, Activists Demand Swift Trial in Lankesh Murder Case

On the sixth anniversary of the tragic assassination of renowned activist and journalist Gauri Lankesh outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, 2017, her family and concerned activists are growing increasingly frustrated with the protracted legal proceedings. They are now advocating for the establishment of a special fast-track court dedicated to expediting the trial, urging that it be conducted on a day-to-day basis.

Despite the charge sheet for the case being filed under the Karnataka Control Of Organized Crimes Act back in 2018, the trial has progressed at a glacial pace. Thus far, only 83 out of more than 500 witnesses have provided testimony, and the trial, which began only in March 2022, has already seen three changes in judges.

Kavita Lankesh, Gauri's younger sister, expressed dissatisfaction with the sluggish pace of the trial and hopes that the government will intervene to expedite the proceedings. She emphasized, "The charge sheet was filed in 2018, but instead of a speedy trial, the proceedings are being dragged on. We hope the government will speed up the trial."

An anonymous activist and a close associate of Gauri Lankesh echoed these concerns, underlining the urgent need for a special fast-track court to ensure a swift and comprehensive trial.

He asserted, "This demand is not new; in the past, we have approached the government, citing the delay in the trial. The murder and revelations during the investigation are worrisome, and it is important that the accused are punished at the earliest."

Gauri Lankesh's murder has broader implications, as it has been linked to the killings of four other rationalists: MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare, Narendra Dhabolkar, and Lankesh herself. Forensic analysis revealed that the bullets and cartridges recovered from Gauri Lankesh's crime scene matched those from the Kalburgi murder.

The Maharashtra SIT, investigating Govind Pansare's murder, also identified the same weapon used in both Lankesh and Pansare's killings. Connections between Lankesh's murder and that of Narendra Dhabolkar, a Maharashtra-based rationalist murdered in 2013, emerged during the later stages of the investigation.

Simultaneously, the Karnataka state government has been investigating death threat letters sent to numerous writers and intellectuals across the state for over a year. These threatening letters, signed by an entity identifying as "Sahishnu Hindu," have alarmed recipients, who have likened them to threats received by MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh before their untimely deaths.

The state police chief has ordered a special team to investigate these threats, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation and its potential links to previous incidents.

As the sixth anniversary of Gauri Lankesh's assassination is marked, calls for justice and the swift resolution of related cases continue to resonate among activists and the wider community.

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