Gauri Lankesh murder: Gun manipulator ‘Kalaskar’ arrested
Bengaluru, September 20: SIT officials arrested Sharad Kalaskar, the manipulator of the gun used to kill journalist Gauri Lankesh, on Thursday.
The SIT officials arrested him in Maharashtra and he is the 16th accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case.
Gun manipulator?
Maharashtra ATS investigating officials had arrested Sudhanva Gondhalekar, Vaibhav Ravath and Sharad Kalaskar and recovered pistols in related to rationalist Govind Pansare murder. It is suspected that Sharad might have information about the pistol used to kill Gauri Lankesh.
Body warrant
After getting permission from the Maharashtra court, the SIT officials have taken Sharad into custody through body warrant for interrogating him in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. Later, they produced him before the special court in Bengaluru and the court has remanded him to 20 days SIT custody.
SIT custody to Sudhanva again
On Thursday, Sudhanva Gondhalekar who was in the SIT custody produced him before the special court. The SIT officials said that as per the court permission, Sudhanva was taken into their custody on body warrant and interrogated him for 15 days and appealed the court to extend the custody as they have to conduct few more rounds of interrogation to get more details from him. Later, the court extended the custody for another ten days.
16 pistols found
ATS officials arrested Sudhanva Gondhalekar, Vaibhav Ravat and Sharad Kalaskar in Mumbai. Then the ATS officials have recovered 16 pistols. Out of 16 pistols, 15 were purchased freshly and the remaining one pistol might have been used to kill three rationalists, suspected investigating officials.
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
