The Karnataka High Court has granted bail to three individuals accused in the murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, according to PTI report. Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty approved the bail for Amit Digvekar, H.L. Suresh, and K.T. Naveen Kumar on Tuesday, citing delays in the trial as the primary reason.
This decision follows the court’s earlier move in December 2023 to grant bail to N. Mohan Nayak, another accused in the case. Nayak is alleged to have rented a house and provided SIM cards for the perpetrators of the murder. The accused trio pointed to Nayak’s bail and the prolonged trial process in their argument for release.
Gauri Lankesh, an outspoken critic of Hindutva groups, was assassinated on 5th September, 2017, outside her home in Bengaluru. She was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants, an act that sparked widespread outrage and condemnation.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested and charged 17 people in connection with the murder, linking them to attacks on critics of right-wing groups in Karnataka and Maharashtra between 2013 and 2018.
During Nayak’s bail hearing, Justice Shetty remarked, “Though Section 22(4) of COCA provides for certain rigours for enlarging the accused on bail as against whom charges are made for the offences punishable under the COCA, the same cannot fetter the powers of this Court to enlarge the accused on bail when there is undue delay in trial and the material on record would go to show that the trial may not be completed any time soon.”
The court’s decision to grant bail to Digvekar, Suresh, and Kumar aligns with its previous consideration of delays in the trial process and the nature of charges against the accused.
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