The Karnataka High Court on Monday ordered two magistrate courts to submit a report on allegations of custodial torture of four accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, PTI reported. Lankesh, a journalist, was killed outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5.

Justice KN Phaneendra asked the Registry of the High Court to order the courts of first and third additional chief metropolitan magistrate to submit a report on allegations that one of them did not order a medical examination despite being made of the claims. The magistrates have 10 days to submit the report.

Advocate NP Amrutesh alleged that his client, accused Amol Kale, was beaten in custody and that the magistrate of the third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate merely took note of his injuries instead of ordering an investigation. Amrutesh also represents Sujith Kumar, Amit Ramachandra Degvekar and Manohar Edave who are accused of playing a role in the Lankesh murder. The lawyer claimed that similar complaints about their torture made on May 31 were also neglected by the magistrate.

The lawyer has asked for the immediate medical examination of the accused and an investigation into claims that they were illegally detained and tortured by the police. Amrutesh also demanded Rs 25 lakh as compensation for each of the accused and a recording of their statements in in-camera proceedings.

On June 16, the Special Investigation Team inquiring into the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh said that Parashuram Waghmare, one of the six accused, shot her with a country-made pistol. Waghmare was arrested this week from Sindhagi in Vijaypura district of Karnataka.

The investigation team has said Lankesh was killed for her “anti-Hindu” views, according to reports. They have also drawn a connection between her murder and the killings of Kannada writer MM Kalburgi, and rationalists Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar.