K'taka govt challenges bail granted to actor Darshan, 16 others in Renukaswamy murder case

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: On Monday, the Karnataka government filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the bail granted to actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and 16 other accused in the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case. The special leave petition was filed against the Karnataka High Court’s December 13 order, which granted bail to the accused. The plea was submitted through Krishna & Nishani Law Chambers. Darshan, a 47-year-old Kannada actor, was arrested on June 11 in connection with the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga.

The victim's body was discovered near a stormwater drain in Bengaluru on June 9. Police stated that Renukaswamy had allegedly sent obscene messages to Darshan’s associate, Pavithra Gowda, which angered the actor. Following the investigation, Darshan, Gowda, and 15 others were arrested. The Bengaluru police filed a chargesheet on September 3, naming Pavithra as accused number 1 and Darshan as accused number 2.

The police claimed that Renukaswamy’s offensive messages to Pavithra were the motive behind the crime. Darshan had previously been granted interim bail on medical grounds on October 30. Pavithra, Nagaraju, Anukumar, Laxman, Jagadeesh, and Pradosh were also granted bail. Currently, all 17 accused are out on bail.