Gauri Lankesh case the Supreme Court issued Notice to Karnataka Govt

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Karnataka government to a plea made by the sister of murdered activist Gauri Lankesh challenging the dropping of organised crime charges against an accused in the case.

A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar issued notice to the State on the petition filed by Kavitha Lankesh.

Ms. Lankesh, a filmmaker, has appealed to the top court against the State High Court’s decision in April to quash charges under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA) against Mohan Nayak.

The apex court said the accused should not be granted bail until Ms. Lankesh’s plea was decided. The Bench then stood the case over to July 15.

Ms. Lankesh, represented by advocate Aparna Bhat, said an SIT investigation had revealed that the accused was part of a syndicate which was behind several instances of organised crime.

The petition refers to a spate of murders, including that of activists Narendra Dabolkar and Govind Pansare.

Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru in 2017.