The Karnataka High Court on Friday, December 13, granted bail to actor Darshan, his partner Pavithra Gowda, and five other co-accused in the Renukaswamy murder case. Justice S Vishwajith Shetty pronounced the order, stating, “Petitions allowed,” with a detailed judgement yet to be issued.
The accused, Darshan, Pavithra, Anu Kumar, Lakshman M, V Vinay, Jagadeesh, Pradoosh S Rao, and Nagaraju R, had sought bail from the High Court after a lower court rejected their applications. Earlier, Darshan was released on interim medical bail to undergo surgery, while another accused, Keshavamurthy, had already been granted bail.
During hearings, Special Public Prosecutor Prasanna Kumar opposed the bail petitions, emphasising the gravity of the charges, including murder, abduction, and conspiracy under Sections 302 (murder), 364 (abduction), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. He contended that the accused deceitfully lured the deceased, Renukaswamy, from Chitradurga to Bengaluru and assaulted him, leading to his death. The prosecution presented evidence such as CCTV footage, call records, and DNA profiling to support its case.
Kumar also highlighted alleged delays in the investigation and discrepancies in the defence’s claims. He argued that external injuries and blood traces at the crime scene corroborated the assault, countering the defence’s assertion that there was no conclusive evidence of death at the scene.
Senior Advocate CV Nagesh, representing Darshan, argued that the deceased was a "menace to society," citing vulgar messages sent to women. However, he maintained that this did not justify the accusations of murder. He pointed to alleged lapses in the police investigation, such as delayed post-mortem and seizure procedures, and questioned the reliability of evidence like call records and recovered blood samples.
Pavithra Gowda’s counsel argued that there was no conspiracy or prior criminal antecedents. She cited her role as a single mother of a Class 9 student and requested bail on humanitarian grounds. Similarly, other defence lawyers argued lack of evidence, procedural lapses, and individual circumstances of the accused to seek bail.
Darshan is accused of orchestrating the murder of Renukaswamy, a 33-year-old pharmacist from Chitradurga, who was allegedly found with 39 blood stains on his body. Darshan and his partner, Pavithra Gowda, were arrested on June 11 along with 15 others accused of kidnapping and murdering Renukaswamy. The police allege that Renukaswamy had sent derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda.