Gauri Lankesh murder case: Special Public Prosecutor files list of witnesses before court

Bengaluru: The Special Public Prosecutor in the murder case of journalist Gauri Lankesh filed a list of witnesses before a Bengaluru City Civil and Sessions Court.

The SPP submitted the list to the court on Saturday.

In response, the defendants' attorney appealed for a list of electronic evidence that are part of the investigation.

The court has adjourned the hearing to June 6 for objections, if any to the plea, to be filed. The trial will be held from July 4 to July 8 and for a week every month.

On 5 September 2017, three unidentified men shot Gauri to death at her house in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore. The men fired at least seven bullets at her at around 8 p.m. while she was unlocking the main door of her house after returning from her office.

One of the killers, who was waiting for her near her house, fired the first shots at her, while the two others, who are suspected to have followed her from her office, joined the initial shooter thereafter.

The killers were wearing helmets and escaped on a two-wheeler Honda Dio after the murder. Three of the bullets pierced Gauri's head, neck, and chest, resulting in her death at the scene.

At the time of her death, Gauri was known for being a critic of right-wing Hindu extremism. She was honoured with the Anna Politkovskaya Award for speaking against right-wing Hindu extremism, campaigning for women's rights and opposing caste based discrimination.

(with inputs from PTI)