Eight years after chargesheets filed, trials in Gauri Lankesh and Kalburgi cases drag on
Trials for the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh and scholar M.M. Kalburgi remain incomplete years after chargesheets were filed. Families of the victims are frustrated by the slow pace of justice, citing frequent judge changes and the fact that all accused individuals are currently out on bail.
Why it matters
The delay highlights systemic issues within the Indian judicial system regarding the prosecution of high-profile hate crime and political violence cases.
It has been nine and 11 years, respectively, since journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh and scholar M.M. Kalburgi were killed. This week marked the death anniversaries of both. Even as all the accused in both the cases are out on bail, the trials in their cases are nowhere near completion. The families and close associates of the two have been demanding speedy trials for years now.
Kavita Lankesh, who participated in an event to remember her sister at her tomb in Chamarajpet on Saturday, said it was nine years since Gauri was killed on September 5, 2017, and her mother Indira Lankesh died earlier this year before seeing justice being served.
“A proposal for setting up a special court for speedy trial of the case also did not bear fruit. Seven judges have changed since the trial began, and all the accused are on bail,” she lamented.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in