On Thursday, the Supreme Court has upheld the bail granted to Mohan Nayak N, one of the accused in the murder case of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh.
The decision came after the Court dismissed a special leave petition challenging Nayak’s bail.
Gauri Lankesh’s assassination took place in front of her residence in south Bengaluru on 5 September 2017.
The investigation into her murder resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals, with police taking Nayak into custody on 18 July 2018.
Gauri Lankesh’s sister, Kavitha Lankesh, filed the petition against Nayak’s bail, challenging the Karnataka High Court’s bail order issued on 7 December 2023.
The High Court granted bail, citing Nayak’s five years in jail and the examination of only 90 out of 527 chargesheeted witnesses.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the State of Karnataka, informed the bench that the prosecution had examined 137 witnesses.
However, the prosecution dropped 137 witnesses and is likely to exclude an additional 150, leaving only 100 witnesses remaining for examination.
Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma noted that Nayak has complied with the trial process and has not requested any adjournments.
As a result, the Supreme Court chose not to overturn the bail decision.
The Court further emphasized that should Nayak fail to cooperate or request undue adjournments, the State or the complainant may apply for the cancellation of his bail, which will be considered on its own merits.
The Court has also directed that the trial court expedite the proceedings and that all parties involved cooperate to ensure a swift conclusion to the trial.
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