Gauri Lankesh murder case: SIT files additional chargesheet in special court against 18 accused

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh filed an additional chargesheet in the case on Friday against 18 accused, ANI reported.

The SIT submitted the 9,235-page charge sheet under Karnataka Control of Crimes Act (KCOCA) to a special court. They team also sought permission to conduct further investigations.

Lankesh, 55, the editor of Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead outside her residence in the city's suburb by unidentified assailants on 5 September, 2017.

Representational image. PTI

In August, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the murder of Pune-based rationalist Narendra Dabholkar established links between the two murders.

Though the two high-profile murders were committed four years apart, in both these cases, the long-suspected alleged role of certain right-wing activists, including those associated with Sanatan Sanstha and others, emerged.

The SIT invoked the stringent KCOCA as it believed there existed a larger conspiracy behind the murder. KCOCA is the Karnataka version of MCOCA, the law in place in Maharashtra to curb underworld activities.

Eighteen people have been arrested in the case. The SIT filed its first chargesheet on 30 May.

With inputs from agencies