New Delhi, September 4, 2025—Ahead of the eighth anniversary of Indian journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder, the Committee to Protect Journalists urges the Karnataka state government to push for the establishment of a fast-track court to bring her killers to justice.
Lankesh, who published and edited Bengaluru-based Gauri Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada-language weekly known for its criticism of right-wing extremism and authorities, was shot dead outside her home on September 5, 2017.
No one has been convicted for her murder, with 17 suspects on bail and one on the run. The trial of her suspected killers only began in 2022 and about 100 witnesses are waiting to testify.
“Gauri Lankesh’s murder is emblematic because it is not an isolated case,” said CPJ Regional Director Beh Lih Yi. “Killing a journalist has become one of the world’s safest crimes — not only in autocratic regimes, but also in democracies. India must break the culture of impunity around journalist killings and ensure timely justice.”
CPJ and Bengaluru-based news site The News Minute (TNM) on September 3 hosted a panel discussion with Rollo Romig, author of “I Am on the Hit List,” a book about Lankesh’s murder; the widow of slain journalist Rajdev Ranjan; Lankesh’s friend and activist Shivsundar; and CPJ’s Beh. The discussion, moderated by TNM editor-in-chief Dhanya Rajendran, examined delays in Lankesh’s trial and impunity for journalist killings.
Romig said the delays in delivering justice for Lankesh’s family showed the system was “fundamentally broken,” while Shivsundar called for a special court to fast-track the proceedings.
India ranked 13th on CPJ’s 2024 Global Impunity Index, which measures where murderers of journalists are most likely to go free. At least 61 Indian journalists have been killed in direct relation to their work since 1992, according to CPJ data.
Karnataka state law minister Hanumanthagowda Krishnegouda Patil did not respond to CPJ’s email seeking comment.
Watch the full panel discussion here.