Renukaswamy murder: Actor Darshan gets interim bail

In a relief to actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, an accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, the Karnataka high court on Wednesday granted him interim bail on medical grounds, to undergo spine surgery.

IMAGE: Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa. Photograph: ANI Photo

The 47-year-old was arrested on June 11 and is lodged in Ballari prison.

His friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 others are co-accused in the case.

Pavithra Gowda is lodged in Bengaluru prison, and others in various jails of the state; some of them have recently got bail.

The bench of Justice S Vishwajith Shetty granted interim bail to Darshan for a period of six weeks to undergo medical treatment.

As per conditions imposed by the court, Darshan will have to surrender his passport before the trial court, and should not tamper with evidence.

The court said that he can take treatment at a hospital of his choice and submit a report to the court on his health condition, required treatment and follow-up treatment within a week.

The court had reserved the order on Tuesday on the interim bail application after hearing detailed arguments from the actor's legal representative, senior advocate C V Nagesh, and State Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar.

The state had presented medical reports in a sealed cover from doctors at Ballari central prison, where he is lodged, and the Head of the Department of Neurology at a government hospital in Ballari.

Darshan's bail application, submitted on September 21, was rejected by a sessions court. Following this, he petitioned the High Court and requested interim bail to receive treatment.

According to police, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to his friend Pavithra Gowda, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June 9.

Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar here, on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that he was allegedly tortured and murdered.

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and hemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries.

Police have said Pavithra, who is accused number one, was the 'major cause' for Renukaswamy's murder, claiming that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated other accused, conspired with them, and took part in the crime.