SC asks CBI whether there was 'common thread' in murders of Dabholkar, Pansare, Lankesh & Kalburgi

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia posed this query to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while hearing a plea by Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of Narendra Dabholkar.

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the CBI to ascertain if there is a common thread in the murders of four rationalists Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar, M M Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia posed the query with Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the CBI.

The court was hearing a plea by Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of Narendra Dabholkar.

Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the Bombay High Court declined to monitor the case.

He said the issues involved in the matter are two folds, firstly, the CBI investigation was not completed when the impugned order was passed and secondly, even perfunctory evidence indicated that the murders -- of Pansare, Dabholkar, Professor Kalburgi and Lankesh -- were interconnected.

The bench, however, said the high court declined to monitor the investigation since the trial was in progress and several witnesses have been examined.

Grover, for his part, claimed that absconders have not been arrested so far.

The bench then asked Bhati regarding the claims of larger conspiracy by Grover. It asked the counsel to ascertain the common thread.

The court granted two weeks to Grover for filling of some additional documents in the matter, while noting that it would facilitate ASG in examining the issue of a larger conspiracy.

In 2013, Narendra Dabholkar, a rationalist and social activist, was shot dead while on his morning walk. In 2014, the high court transferred the probe to the CBI from Pune police.

Lankesh, a leading journalist, was killed on September 5, 2017 outside her house at Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru. The murders of Govinda Pansare and M M Kalburgi were committed in 2015.