Darshan seeks bail in murder case, calls victim a 'menace to society'

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

Actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, the prime accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, told the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday that Renukaswamy, who was allegedly assaulted on Darshan's orders, had a habit of circulating obscene images of women and was a "menace to society,” as per a report by the Bar and Bench. Senior Counsel CV Nagesh, representing Darshan, presented his arguments while seeking bail for the actor. Nagesh submitted to Justice S Vishwajith Shetty several messages and photos allegedly circulated by Renukaswamy. Nagesh further stated that the court could not deny that Renukaswamy's actions were reprehensible, especially in a country where women are revered as Goddesses.

He said, "A man (Renukaswamy) who had no respect for women and no regard for society was a lawless individual. This man was a menace to society. Yet, he has been glorified and turned into some kind of a national hero in this case, while my client’s image is being tarnished as a villain, despite the fact that I play a hero in reel life." However, Nagesh emphasised that he was not suggesting Renukaswamy's behaviour justified his murder. He clarified, "I'm not claiming that because of Renukaswamy's character, anyone had a license to kill him." According to the Bar and Bench report, Nagesh also pointed out several lapses in the police investigation into Renukaswamy's death. He claimed the police had failed to conduct an inquest and had not sent the body for postmortem until three days after it was found by a local security guard. Refuting allegations that Renukaswamy was abducted on Darshan's instructions, Nagesh argued that the deceased had travelled voluntarily from his hometown in Chitradurga to Bengaluru. The body of 33-year-old auto-driver Renukaswamy was found on June 9, with allegations that he died from injuries sustained in an attack carried out under Darshan's orders.

It is claimed that Darshan instructed his fans to confront Renukaswamy for making derogatory comments about Darshan's alleged partner, Pavithra Gowda, on social media. Darshan and his co-accused have applied for regular bail from the High Court after their bail applications were rejected by a sessions court in Bengaluru on October 14. Judge Jaishankar had dismissed the bail requests of Darshan, Gowda, and co-accused Lakshman and Nagaraju. On October 30, Justice Shetty granted Darshan interim bail for six weeks to allow him to undergo surgery. Darshan had been arrested on June 11 and was held in Ballari Prison until he was granted interim bail. The High Court will continue hearing Darshan's bail plea on November 28.