Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 24: The first additional court at Vijayapura, on Monday July 23, absolved Parashuram Waghmare of the charge of hoisting Pakistani flag at Sindagi in Vijayapura district. Five others, who were similarly charged in the case, were also found not guilty.

Waghmare is the prime accused in journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder,

Waghmare had been named as fifth accused in a case in which he was accused along with some others, of hoisting Pakistani flag atop the office of the tahasildar at Sindagi on January 1, 2012.

The accused in the case, which included Anil Solankar, Mallanagouda Patil, Rohit Navil, Sunil Agasar, and Aruna, were charged under different sections of Indian Penal Code pertaining to speaking against one's own country and delivering inflammatory address. Judge of the court, Geetha K B, ordered release of all the accused in the backdrop of technical shortcomings.

The police, who brought Waghmare from Bengaluru for being presented in the court, took him back to Bengaluru the same evening and handed him to special investigation team inquiring the murder of Gauri Lankesh. When Waghmare was produced in the court, some journalists tried to speak to him, but Waghmare, who covered his face to stop them from taking his photographs, loudly asked them to leave.