Supreme Court Upholds Bail for Mohan Nayak

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed petitions from the Karnataka government and Kavitha Lankesh, sister of journalist Gauri Lankesh, seeking the cancellation of bail granted to accused Mohan Nayak N. The Karnataka High Court had previously granted Nayak bail on December 7, 2023, due to delays in the trial, which has seen only 90 out of 527 witnesses examined so far. The Supreme Court noted that Nayak has cooperated with the trial and has not requested adjournments. The court has directed the trial to be expedited and stated that if Nayak fails to cooperate in the future, the state or complainant could seek bail cancellation. Gauri Lankesh was murdered outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017, and Nayak is one of 18 individuals charged in the case, linked to a Right-wing crime syndicate. The trial's protracted nature has raised concerns regarding the timely administration of justice.