Special court to hear Lankesh, Kalaburagi murder cases: CM Siddu

NT Correspondent

Belagavi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced the setting up of a special court to fast track the hearings in the murder cases of journalist Gauri Lankesh and scholar MM Kalaburagi.

The CM said that it had been slow going for the verdicts for the murders because there were too many cases pending in regular courts.

He added that he had written twice to Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department SR Umashankar. Apparently, Siddaramaiah had done so due to requests made by Gauri’s sister Kavita and Kalaburagi's widow Umadevi.

MM Kalaburagi, who was a scholar of the Vachanas (oral tradition of transmitting sayings of 12th century saint Basavanna), was shot dead at his Dharwad home on August 30, 2015.

“It has been seven years,” Siddaramaiah said of the Kalaburagi murder.

“The charge sheet in the case had been submitted to the court around 2018-19. The statements of his family members had been recorded then but hearings continue in the court,” he added.

Lankesh was murdered on September 5, 2017 at her Rajarajeshwari Nagar home in Bengaluru by three gunmen.

“So far, a total of 18 accused persons have been arrested and a charge sheet inclusive of 1,200 documents and 500 pieces of evidence has been submitted to the court. The court began hearing the case in July 2022,'' Siddaramaiah said.