Explained: Gauri Lankesh trial set to begin; brief recall of her murder in 2017 and investigations in the case

On September 5, 2017, Lankesh was shot dead on her doorstep as she was about to enter her home after returning from work. Assailants on a motorcycle fired several shots at her before fleeing.

Her murder was alleged to have been motivated by the same forces that were involved in the killings of the rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar in 2013, and the leftist thinker Govind Pansare and Kannada scholar M M Kalburgi in 2015.

No verdicts have been passed in any of these murders as yet.

The investigation

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police has filed two reports in the case.

A key finding of the SIT, as well as other agencies that investigated the case, is that a crime syndicate with links to the radical right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha was involved in the killing of not just Lankesh, but also in the murders of Dabholkar, Pansare, and Kalburgi.

Sanatan Sanstha is a Goa-based extremist organisation, which describes its mission as: “to impart spiritual knowledge to the curious in the society, inculcate religious behaviour in the masses and providing personal guidance to seekers for their spiritual uplift”.

The Sanstha has denied involvement in the murders.

As reported earlier by The Indian Express, investigators have found the following significant links among all these murders: both Lankesh and Kalburgi (in Dharwad) were killed on their doorsteps; the 7.65 mm countrymade gun that was used to kill Lankesh had also been fired at Kalburgi two years previously; and the ballistic evidence linked the Kalburgi case to the murders of Pansare in Kolhapur and Dabholkar in Pune.

The SIT concluded that the same group or gang was involved in all three murders.

Also, Ganesh Miskin, the alleged driver of the motorcycle on which Lankesh’s alleged killer Parashuram Waghmore is believed to have ridden pillion to her house, was identified by Kalburgi’s daughter in court as the man who had shot her father.

Police have alleged that a network was created to plan Lankesh’s murder, which used fake identities and bought multiple SIM cards and mobile phones. A house was rented 20 km from Lankesh’s house for Waghmore, the alleged shooter, to stay.

Police have claimed to have found a diary belonging to one of the accused, which contains an alleged list of other potential targets, which include theatre veteran Girish Karnad, Kannada writer Yogesh Master, and former Karnataka backward castes commission chairman C S Dwarkanath.

The SIT has said in its additional charge sheet that Lankesh’s alleged killers acted in accordance with principles and guidelines outlined in a book called Kshatra Dharma Sadhana published by the Sanatan Sanstha. “The members of this organisation targeted persons who they identified to be inimical to their belief and ideology,” the SIT said.

The delayed trial

In the Lankesh case, despite then Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s promise of a “prompt and thorough investigation”, the framing of charges was delayed for over two years on account of the Covid pandemic and the filing of multiple applications by the accused.

In October last year, the SIT framed charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, against the 17 accused persons who were lodged in different jails after being arrested by the Karnataka Police. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

All accused have to be present in court at the stage of framing of charges, and this was managed by videoconferencing. The earlier delay in bringing the accused was due to the pandemic.

The accused additionally applied multiple applications during this time, including questioning the case being tried in a special court. Responding to these has “consumed sufficient time”, the principal sessions court in Bengaluru said.