Appeals to State government for a special court

Kavita Lankesh, the sister of activist and journalist Gauri Lankesh who was assassinated on September 5, 2017, appealed to the government to form a special court to fast-track the trial. She made a similar appeal for M.M. Kalburgi’s murder case while speaking at the Gauri Lankesh memorial programme in the city on Thursday.

“Till date, 16 persons have been arrested for the murder of Gauri Lankesh, of which several have been arrested for the murder of M.M. Kalburgi as well. The trial is yet to begin in the Gauri Lankesh murder. It may go on for several years. We request the government to form a special court and fast-track the trials,” she said.

Sources said agencies are keen on a special court where the murders of Gauri Lankesh, M.M. Kalburgi, attempt to murder Prof. K.S. Bhagavan and the attack on Prakash theatre in Belagavi can be tried together as all four offences were allegedly carried out by the same organisation.

The gathered people paid their respects to A.K. Subbaiah, a patron of the Gauri Memorial Trust and a senior politician who passed away recently.

“A.K. Subbaiah was always committed to people's causes,” said freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy.

Youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar said that Ms. Lankesh will get justice, not with the arrest of her killers, but when the idea of justice is protected and when the egalitarian ideals that she stood for wins. “Though Nathuram Godse was arrested, Mahatma Gandhi never got justice, as the people who made Godse into what he was are ruling the country today,” he said. “It is not a fight between Left and Right, or between Congress and BJP, but a fight between humanity and inhumanity, truth and falsehood. The time is ripe for a new kind of politics,” he said.

Award for journalist

Ravish Kumar, a senior journalist with NDTV who recently won the Magsaysay Award, will be honoured with the first Gauri Lankesh Memorial Award for Journalism.

The Gauri Memorial Trust released a statement on Thursday saying: “Ravish Kumar is known for his incisive news analysis and unwavering commitment to secularism. He has upheld the honour of journalism even under extremely trying circumstances. We are happy that such a journalist is the first recipient of the Gauri Lankesh Award.”

The award, which carries a purse of ₹1 lakh, will be presented to Mr. Kumar in the city on September 22. An English news portal Gaurilankeshnews.com will be launched on that day.