In Brief
In this case, the Supreme Court examined the validity of a prior approval order issued by the Bengaluru Police Commissioner under the Karnataka Control of Organized Crimes Act, 2000, following the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh. The High Court had partially quashed the approval order and charge-sheet against one accused (Mohan Nayak). The Supreme Court held that at the approval stage, authorities need only verify that material shows an organized crime syndicate committed the offence; they are not required to examine each accused's individual role. A person can be proceeded against under the Act as a member of the syndicate or facilitator without prior criminal records if he has nexus with syndicate members. The High Court exceeded its jurisdiction by quashing the charge-sheet at the approval stage rather than leaving that examination to the trial court. The appeals were allowed and the High Court's judgment was set aside.
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