Nine years on, Gauri Lankesh murder trial still far from verdict

Nine years after journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh was killed in Bengaluru, and eleven years after scholar M.M. Kalburgi was shot in Dharwad, the trials of the accused in both cases remain far from conclusion. All accused in both matters are currently out on bail, and court proceedings have moved at a crawl, prompting repeated demands from families and associates for speedy justice.

Speaking at a memorial event for her sister in Chamarajpet on Saturday, Kavita Lankesh noted that Gauri's mother, Indira Lankesh, passed away earlier this year without seeing the case conclude. She also pointed out that a proposal to establish a special court for the trial did not materialise, and that seven different judges have presided over the case since it began.

In the Lankesh trial, the prosecution has examined 220 of the 532 listed witnesses, while giving up on 130 others. Another 180 witnesses remain to be examined. Court hearings are held just four days a month. Officials from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the case expressed confidence that the trial could be completed within the next eight to ten months, noting that all accused have been attending hearings in person without seeking exemptions.

One of the accused, Srikanth Pangarkar, a former councillor from Jalna in Maharashtra, even contested and won a local election in January 2026 while out on bail.

The Kalburgi case has progressed even more slowly. The last hearing took place in April 2026, with the next scheduled for September 23. Of the 139 witnesses, only 33 have been examined so far, while the prosecution has dropped 30. Shashidhar Todkar, a close associate of Kalburgi, expressed dismay at the pace, saying the trial would continue indefinitely at this rate.

The SIT formed after Lankesh's murder in 2017 cracked the case and uncovered an alleged conspiracy involving members linked to the Goa-based Sanatan Sanstha and affiliated organisations, who reportedly targeted individuals they considered "anti-Hindu." This breakthrough also led to progress in the earlier killings of Narendra Dabholkar (2013) and Govind Pansare (2015) in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, the Gauri Memorial Trust is observing Gauri Day on Sunday as "GenZ Day," featuring student leaders and activists at an event in Bengaluru. Kavita Lankesh said Gauri had embraced student leaders like Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid as her own children, and would have been thrilled by recent youth-led protests, making it fitting for young voices to speak at the commemoration.