New Delhi, Sep 23 (TIWN) The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its order on an appeal filed by filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh, sister of journalist Gauri Lankesh, challenging the Karnataka High Court order quashing charges under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA) against one of the accused in the murder of her sister.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmedi, representing Lankesh, contended before a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar that the charge sheet categorically made out a case of a syndicate involved in the offence, therefore the argument whether a particular person was not part of earlier crimes of the syndicate was irrelevant. Citing that incident occurred four years ago, he added that charges were yet to be framed in the case.  Senior advocate Basava Prabhu Patil, representing the accused Mohan Nayak, cited distinction between "abettor" or "harbourer" and "a member of a crime syndicate" under the KCOCA, and emphasised that the abettor cannot be necessarily equated to a syndicate member.  Querying whether it is correct to brand a person as a member of organised crime, at the stage of FIR against him, he cited the absence of proof against his client, establishing his participation in unlawful activities of the syndicate.