Supreme Court Restores Organized Crime Charges In Gauri Lankesh Murder Case

The Supreme Court has reinstated charges under the Karnataka Control of Organized Crime Act (KCOCA) against Mohan Nayak, an accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder case. A bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari accepted the Special Leave Petition filed by Gauri Lankesh’s sister, Kavita Lankesh, and the Karnataka government.

The Karnataka High Court had earlier dropped KCOCA charges against Nayak and quashed a supplementary charge sheet, leading to this appeal. Kavita Lankesh challenged the decision, arguing that the SIT investigation linked Nayak to an organized crime syndicate involved in multiple murders, including activists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.

The Supreme Court has directed all parties to submit written arguments within three days. Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her Bengaluru home in 2017.

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