Murder-accused actor Darshan skipped a court hearing on Tuesday, April 8, citing health issues—but was later seen attending a movie screening.
Under the bail conditions, Darshan and 16 others, including his partner and co-accused Pavithra Gowda, were required to appear before the court. While Pavithra and the others complied, Darshan filed an exemption petition through his lawyer, seeking to be excused from the proceedings due to health issues. His lawyer said that Darshan had developed a backache from continuous shooting for his upcoming film Devil.
A day later Darshan was spotted at a film screening event. Visuals of the event have gone viral on social media. He was seen accompanied by actor Chikkanna, a witness in the murder case, a clear violation of bail conditions that prohibits contact with witnesses.
Darshan and his partner Pavithra Gowda are accused of orchestrating the murder of Renukaswamy, a pharmacist from Chitradurga. The deceased had allegedly sent derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda.
Darshan, named accused number two in the case, was granted interim bail on medical grounds on October 30 after spending 131 days in custody. On December 13, the Karnataka High Court granted regular bail to him and Pavithra Gowda, the primary accused in the case. The 3,991-page chargesheet filed by Bengaluru police in September 2024 names a total of 17 accused. All have since been released on bail.