Gauri Lankesh murder: SC pulls up Karnataka HC for dropping organised crime charges against accused

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its judgement in a petition filed against a Karnataka High Court order that dropped the charges of organised crime against an accused in the murder case of journalist Gauri Lankesh, Bar and Bench reported.

However, the Supreme Court said that the High Court had dealt the matter of quashing the charges against the accused “very lightly”, Live Law reported. A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari noted that the High Court’s decision was “incorrect” and “in excess of the jurisdiction”.

Lankesh, a journalist known for her strident views against Hindutva politics, was shot dead at her home in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. At least 12 people have been arrested in the case.

Her murder sparked protests around the country, and was seen by many as another in a spate of attacks that have targeted activists and writers critical of the right wing.

In April, the Karnataka High Court had dropped the organised crimes charges against accused Mohan Nayak.

The High Court had quashed the charges under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act on the grounds that no prior chargesheet had been filed under the law to prove that Nayak was part of the crime syndicate allegedly involved in the murder.

Lankesh’s sister Kavitha Lankesh had moved the Supreme Court…

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