MM Kalburgi | Photo Credit: BCCL

New Delhi: In a sharp rebuke, the Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Karnataka government for “doing nothing and just fooling around” in connection with the probe of the murder of renowned scholar and rationalist MM Kalburgi in Dharwad in 2015. While pulling up the government over what it considered slow progress in the investigation of the case, the apex court hinted that it could transfer the case to Bombay High Court for supervision of the probe after going through the status report filed by the state government.

"What have you (Karnataka government) done so far? Nothing. You are just fooling around. How long will you take for completing the investigation? Tell us or we will pass orders," the bench, comprising Justices RF Nariman and Navin Sinha, said. The SC bench directed the Karnataka government to file its status report in the matter in two weeks on the probe conducted so far in the case.

According to news agency PTI, advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the Karnataka government, informed the court that he would have to take instructions on the time period for completing the investigation. Responding to this, the bench said, "You take instruction. Then we will send the matter to Bombay High Court where a similar matter is pending. You people are just doing nothing.”

The court was hearing a plea filed by Kalburgi’s widow, Uma Devi Kalburgi, who sought a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the murder case. Kalburgi’s counsel told the court that it would be better if the case was transferred to Bombay High Court for further supervision, PTI reported.

MM Kalburgi was the former Vice-Chancellor of Hampi University and a noted scholar and epigraphist. He was shot dead in broad daylight at his Dharwad residence in Kalyan Nagar in Karnataka on August 30, 2015.

Kalburgi's wife, in her petition filed before the court, has alleged that there was a common link between the killing of her husband and the murders of activists, Narendra Achyut Dabholkar and Govindrao Pansare. While Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013 in Pune, Pansare was killed in Kolhapur on February 16, 2015.