Hubballi: Senior journalist Gouri Lankesh was on Monday convicted in two defamation cases and was sentenced to six months jail with a penalty of Rs 10,000 by a Judicial Magistrate First Class court here; however, the court also granted her bail and allowed her to appeal in a higher court.

Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi and BJP leader Umesh Dushi had filed defamation cases against Gouri after she published a report against BJP leaders in her periodical on January 23, 2008.

Pralhad Joshi’s Advocate S M Laxmeshwar told the media that the court found that the article was published without any basis.

Gouri Lankesh, addressing the media said that some people wanted to see her in jail but that was not possible as the court granted her bail. She said that she would appeal against the verdict in a higher court.