📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Hari Prasad Nadig
Crime
Eighth Judge Assigned in Gauri Lankesh Murder Trial, Nine Years After Killing
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 11 Oct 2026, 01:37 AM
👁 22
Nine years after journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead, the Karnataka trial court has appointed its eighth judge to oversee the murder case.
Journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her home in Bangalore in September 2017, sparking nationwide outrage and a high‑profile criminal investigation. The case, registered as a murder under the Indian Penal Code, has been pending in the Karnataka trial court for almost a decade.
Over the years the trial has seen a series of judicial transfers, with seven judges previously stepping down or being reassigned due to procedural delays, health concerns, or administrative orders. This week the court announced the appointment of its eighth presiding judge, marking another shift in the long‑running proceedings.
Legal experts note that frequent changes in the bench have contributed to procedural bottlenecks, extending the time taken to reach a verdict. The newly appointed judge is expected to review the existing evidence, hear pending arguments, and set a timetable for the remaining stages of the trial, as the prosecution and defence prepare for the next hearing.
Over the years the trial has seen a series of judicial transfers, with seven judges previously stepping down or being reassigned due to procedural delays, health concerns, or administrative orders. This week the court announced the appointment of its eighth presiding judge, marking another shift in the long‑running proceedings.
Legal experts note that frequent changes in the bench have contributed to procedural bottlenecks, extending the time taken to reach a verdict. The newly appointed judge is expected to review the existing evidence, hear pending arguments, and set a timetable for the remaining stages of the trial, as the prosecution and defence prepare for the next hearing.