E-Paper
SC notice to govt on dropping of charges against Lankesh’s killer
New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Karnataka government and state police on a plea filed by slain journalist Gauri Lankesh’s sister challenging the dropping of charge under the Karnataka Control of Organized Crime Act 2000 (KCOCA) against one of the accused
New Delhi The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Karnataka government and state police on a plea filed by slain journalist Gauri Lankesh’s sister challenging the dropping of charge under the Karnataka Control of Organized Crime Act 2000 (KCOCA) against one of the accused. Lankesh was shot dead in Bengaluru in September 2017.
Kavitha Lankesh, working as a filmmaker, had approached the court for staying the Karnataka HC order of April 22, 2021 which had quashed the charges under KCOCA against accused Mohan Nayak who is one of the accused facing trial in Gauri Lankesh murder. Pursuant to this order, Nayak had applied for bail in the Karnataka high court and was awaiting a decision.
A three-judge bench of the top court headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar issued notice on the petition and observed that the Karnataka high court shall pass bail order without being influenced by the April 22 order under challenge. The bench posted the matter for hearing on July 15. The Karnataka Police is yet to file an appeal against the HC order in question.
Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi appearing for Lankesh pointed out Nayak’s involvement in multiple murders involving activists Narendra Dabholkar in 2013 (Pune), Govind Pansare in 2015 (Kolhapur, Maharashtra), and noted Kannada writer MM Kalburgi in Dharwad (Karnataka) in 2015.
According to the petition filed through advocate Aparna Bhat, Nayak was involved in arranging logistics for the killers both before and after the crime. It stated that the HC erred in setting aside the order of the Bengaluru Police Commissioner passed in August 2018 invoking KCOCA against Nayak and the subsequent supplementary charge sheet filed by the Special Investigation Team under provisions of KCOCA .
The police claimed Nayak to be part of a crime syndicate operated by Amol Kale. Over the past decade, two charge sheets were filed against this syndicate and hence Lankesh claimed that the invocation of KCOCA against Nayak was fully justified.
