Colleagues Spar with Gauri’s Family Over a Tabloid In Her Name

However, Gauri Lankesh’s newspaper will remain under lock and key.

The editorial team of Gauri Lankesh Patrike are moving on. As Gauri’s family has raised objections against using the name of ‘Gauri Lankesh Patrike’, the tabloid run by Gauri, her colleagues will launch a newspaper which will have no association with the original tabloid.

Gauri Lankesh’s family had raised objections to her employees continuing the newspaper under the name of Gauri Lankesh Patrike and a lawsuit was filed against the use of the name as well.

The new newspaper, which will be named either Naanu Gauri (I am Gauri) or Namma Gauri (Our Gauri), is expected to be launched on 29 January. The process of registering the newspaper with the National Newspapers Registry has already begun, said members of the Gauri’s editorial team, who are confident the launch will go ahead despite the dispute.

While the new newspaper will take her work forward, Gauri’s life’s work – the Gauri Lankesh Patrike – might die an inconspicuous death, as there are no plans to reopen the tabloid.

Legal Trouble Over the Name

Even though the plan of launching the new newspaper is going ahead full steam, Gauri’s family and her colleagues are involved in a legal battle over the name. In the first week of November, a city court issued an injunction against her colleagues starting a newspaper with her or her father’s names in the name. The injunction was issued after a petition was filed by Gauri’s mother, Indira.

The court has banned her colleagues from “printing, publishing and circulating a weekly tabloid in the name of ‘Gauri Lankesh Patrike’ or with any prefix and suffix to ‘Lankesh Patrike’ or in the name of ‘Naanu Gauri’ till the next date of hearing.”

However, Gauri’s colleagues are confident of amicably solving the issue. Even though a case was filed, Kavita Lankesh, Gauri’s sister, was part of the meeting announcing the trust, which is expected to take her work forward.

According to sources close to the family, ideological differences between siblings is behind the legal battle over the name. While Kavitha is close to the liberal associates of Gauri Lankesh, her brother Indrajit Lankesh is said to be closer to a right-wing political party.

The fear of his association with a right-wing party being criticised in the publication coming in his sister’s name is said have prompted Indrajit to push for an injunction against it.

Gauri Was Not the Only Stakeholder

While the former employees of Gauri Lankesh Patrike have agreed not to use Lankesh family’s name, they will be asking the court to allow them to use Gauri’s name.

At the same time, former employees have also pointed out that Gauri was not the only stakeholder in the Gauri Lankesh Patrike. Three other associates of Gauri – Parvathesh, Raju and Narasimha Murthy – owned 60% stakes in the paper, they claim. The family has not however, agreed to this argument.

“We certainly are not in conflict with the family. We have agreed to the request of not using Lankesh family’s name. However, we will contest using the name Gauri. We will also be talking to Gauri’s family to convince them that the newspaper will also stand for her ideals,” said one of the Gauri Memorial Trust members.

The New Trust

On 4 December, close to three months after Gauri’s death, a trust was launched to take her work forward. The 14-member Gauri Memorial Trust consists of prominent figures from the field of journalism and members of Dalit, farmer, feminist and other movements that Gauri was part of.

The purpose of the trust will not be limited to continuing Gauri’s journalistic work. While the trust would fund the running of the newspaper, there will be other objectives as well. An award will be set up every year in Gauri’s name for ethical journalism. The trust will also conduct orientation programmes for young journalists, and workshops and seminars to spread awareness about Gauri’s activism will be taken up the trust.

However, the trust will not have control over the editorial policies of the newspaper.

The Editorial Team

The editorial decisions of the newspaper will be taken by the original editorial team of Gauri Lankesh Patrike. Shiv Sundar, a senior editor with Gauri Lankesh Patrike, said that the ‘spirit of Gauri’s journalism’ will be taken forward. “Gauri stood for a school of journalism, which took a stand. We will continue to do that with our work,” he said.

He also added that role of the trust was defined during several meetings leading up to the announcement, and it was made clear that the trust will have limited control over editorial policy. “The primary responsibility of the trust will be to provide the financial support the newspaper requires. Yes, they can guide the editorial team, but the final decision will be made by Gauri’s original team,” he said.

‘Gauri Habba’

In the hope that the legal matters surrounding the name will be sorted, the trust is planning to conduct a programme ‘Gauri Habba’ at the end of January. The programme will be a celebration of Gauri’s life, journalism and activism. As part of the programme, on 29 January, the inauguration of the newspaper is proposed as well.