Fed up with delay, Kalburgi's family files plea for SC-monitored probe

Dharwad, Jan 7: Rationalist Dr M M Kalburgi's family has filed a petition before the Supreme Court, pleading that a committee headed by a retired judge of the court be formed to probe his murder. They want an investigation by a team of experienced officials led by an ADGP-rank officer.

They said the ongoing investigation was getting delayed and was going nowhere.

Dr Kalburgi family has filed the petition before the Christmas vacation bench, and it is expected to come up for hearing on January 10.

The writer was shot dead on August 30 in 2015, and the state government had ordered a CID probe into the incident. The murderers have not yet been traced.

It is said there are similarities in the murders of Kalburgi, Dr Narendra Dabolkar and Govind Pansare. But there is no co-ordination between the CID and CBI and there has been not much progress in the investigation, they said.

The report should be submitted to the Supreme Court, and the team members should not be changed without the direction of the court, the family has said. The Maharashtra and Goa governments should appoint IGP-rank officers as nodal officers to co-operate with the investigating team, which should collect reports from NIA, CBI, and police, they added.

"We waited for two years, having faith in the state government. There is a limit for the wait, and we decided to approach the Supreme Court," Umadevi said.