Darshan's bail cancelled, SC pulled up Karnataka HC

The Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled the bail granted to Kannada actor Darshan and pulled up the Karnataka high court in the Renukaswamy murder case. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan observed that the High Court’s December 13, 2024, order granting bail suffered from “serious legal infirmity” and was an “arbitrary exercise” of discretion. The judges noted that the High Court had gone into witness statements, a process meant for the trial court, before granting bail.

“We considered everything, the grant of bail as well as cancellation. It is evident that the order of High Court suffers from serious legal infirmities,” the Supreme Court said. "The order fails to record any special or cogent reasons for granting bail under Sections 302, and 34 IPC. Instead, it reflects a mechanical exercise of discretion formed by significant omission of legally relevant facts. The trial court is alone the appropriate forum for evaluating the credibility and liability of the witnesses,” Live Law quoted the apex court bench as saying.

The bench warned state and jail authorities that no special treatment should be extended to Darshan in custody. “The day we come to know that the accused are being given five-star treatment in jail premises, we will place the jail superintendent under suspension,” Justice Pardiwala said, also cautioning against allowing him to smoke or drink in prison. Ordering that Darshan be taken into custody “expeditiously,” the court reiterated, “In democracy, all persons are subject to equal access to law.” The bench said the allegations against the actor, coupled with forensic evidence, reinforced the need to cancel his bail. “We are satisfied to exercise our extraordinary jurisdiction,” the order read. The judgment came on an appeal filed by the Karnataka government against the state high court's December 13, 2024, order of bail to Darshan and the co-accused.

Our Correspondent from Bengaluru reports, Darshan, along with actress Pavithra Gowda and several others, is accused of abducting and killing 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan who allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra. Darshan was arrested on June 11, 2024, two days after the body of Renukaswamy was discovered in a drain. In the police charge sheet, filed in September 2024, Gowda is named as the prime accused and Darshan as the second accused. Police alleged that Renukaswamy was harassing Gowda with lewd texts and images, apparently blaming her for Darshan’s marital discord. Darshan reportedly abducted him from Chitradurga in June 2024. He was allegedly subjected to brutal torture over three days in a shed in Bengaluru before dying.

(State Correspondent)