Kavita Lankesh, sister of the slain editor-activist Gauri Lankesh, recorded her statement before the KCOCA Special Court, when examination of witnesses began in the case on Monday.
Trial in the case began on May 27.
Recounting the week
Ms. Kavita is also the complainant in Gauri’s murder case. During her examination, she recounted how a week before Gauri was killed, she had told her that suspicious people were moving around the house, but they had not taken it seriously. She also recounted how on September 5, 2017, her mother was informed by Gauri’s neighbours through a call that she had “collapsed”, but while she was still on her way, she got calls from television channels saying Gauri was shot at. She recounted the murder scene and how she saw more than one cartridge.
During her cross-examination by counsels representing the accused, to specific questions she denied that Gauri and her siblings had property disputes. She said that her sister did not have any life threat from Naxals. She also denied the allegation that Gauri and herself had a fight when the former came to her house a few days before being killed.
Earlier in the day, Special Public Prosecutor S. Balan examined a key witness in the case, who was an associate of A-17 K.T. Naveen Kumar. He is a witness in both K.S. Bhagawan attempt to murder case and Gauri murder case.
Key accused identified
Crucially, he identified four key accused who were present in the courtroom through videoconference facility from the prisons. He identified Naveen Kumar and three others A-13 Sujith Kumar alias Praveen, A-1 Amol Kale and A-5 Amith Degvekar - whom he said he met at a farmhouse in Maddur with Naveen Kumar. They asked him if he could make circuits.
The trial in the case will be held till Friday. Justice C.M. Joshi, presiding over the Special KCOCA Court, has fixed the trial in the case to be held for a week in the second week of every month.
