Kalburgi murder: SC seeks response from Karnataka, Maha, CBI, NIA on SIT probe

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre and Karnataka government on a plea for setting up a special investigation team headed by a retired apex court or high court judge to probe into the murder of noted Kannada writer M M Kalburgi on August 30, 2015 in Dharwad.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice Dipak Misra sought responsewithin six weeks also from Maharashtra and Goa governments as well as the CBI and the NIA on a petition filed by Umadevi Mallinath Kalburgi, wife of the slain rationalist, who spearheaded for anti-superstition law and advocated Basava philosophy, triggering anger among certain quarters.

She drew parallel of Kalburgi's murder with killings of Dr Narendra Dabholkar and Comrade Govind Pansare in Maharashtra. Though such incidents are rare, they are exceptionally agonising, eliciting resentful condemnation by all and warranting extra-ordinary attention of the apex court, she submitted.

She urged the court to monitor the probe till it reached its logical conclusion as there was no progress into investigation conducted so far by the Karnataka police.  

"The said murder is unsolved till today, affecting her invaluable fundamental right to life of the petitioner," her plea stated.

The 68-year-old petitioner also relied upon the reports that linked the murder of Prof Kalburgi with that of killings of Dr Dabholkar and Pansare in Maharashtra. "One of the weapons used in murder of Pansare was also used in the murder of Kalburgi. The investigation requires co-ordination between Maharashtra and Karnataka police as well as CBI and NIA. The organisation involved in the murder also appears to be one. The shooters are also likely to tbe same," she contended.

The murder case of Dabholkar was being investigated by the CBI. The alleged shooters in case of Dabholkar and Pansare are also accused in the 2009 Goa blast case, investigated by the NIA.

"As it is, every offence is a crime against society and is unpardonable; yet there are some species of ghastly, revolting and villainous violations of the invaluable right to life which leaves all sensible and right–minded persons of the society shell-shocked and traumatised in the body and soul," her petition stated.