Supreme Court Upholds Bail for Mohan Nayak in Gauri Lankesh Murder Case
The Supreme Court of India has dismissed an appeal seeking the cancellation of bail granted to Mohan Nayak N, an accused in the 2017 murder case of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh. A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, noted that Nayak has cooperated with the trial and has not sought any adjournments so far.
Mohan Nayak N had been in custody since July 18, 2018. The court directed the trial court to conduct the trial expeditiously and urged all parties to cooperate in concluding the trial. The bench stated, “Under the circumstances, we are not inclined to interfere with the impugned orders passed by the High Court. However, it is directed that the trial court shall expeditiously conduct the trial and all the parties shall cooperate with the trial court in concluding the trial.”
The court also mentioned that if Nayak does not cooperate or seeks unnecessary adjournments, the State of Karnataka or the complainant can apply for the cancellation of his bail. The Karnataka government and Gauri Lankesh’s sister, Kavitha Lankesh, had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order dated December 7, 2023, which granted bail to Nayak.
Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. The police had arrested 18 people in connection with the case.
Doubts Revealed
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes the final decisions on important legal matters.
Bail -: Bail is when someone who is accused of a crime is allowed to stay out of jail while they wait for their trial. They usually have to promise to come back to court when told to.
Mohan Nayak -: Mohan Nayak is a person who was accused of being involved in the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a journalist.
Gauri Lankesh -: Gauri Lankesh was a journalist in India who wrote about important issues. She was killed in 2017.
Karnataka -: Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India. Bengaluru, where Gauri Lankesh was killed, is the capital city of Karnataka.
Karnataka High Court -: The Karnataka High Court is a big court in the state of Karnataka. It makes important legal decisions for the state.
Trial court -: A trial court is where a case is first heard. This is where the judge listens to both sides and decides if the person is guilty or not.
Expedite -: To expedite means to make something happen faster. The Supreme Court wants the trial to be finished quickly.
