Senior journalist Gauri Lankesh was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay a penalty of Rs 10,000 on November 28 when a judicial magistrate first class court convicted her in two defamation cases, the Hindu reported.
The cases against her were filed by Pralhad Joshi, an MP from Dharwad and Umesh Dushi of the BJP. Their objection was against an article criticising BJP leaders, from January 23, 2008. According to the New Indian Express, Lankesh was the second person to be accused in the case filed by Dushi, who named Devanand Jagapur as accused number one. She was, however, the only accused named in Joshi’s complaint. The same court had incidentally acquitted Jagapur, according to the report. Lankesh though was found guilty because the court said she could not provide substantial evidence, but she managed to avoid arrest by getting anticipatory bail.
Lankesh told the New Indian Express, “The court’s verdict is a temporary setback to me, but I will challenge it in a higher court. Many people thought that I will go to jail, but I have disappointed them as I managed to get bail.”