Actor Darshan pleads for bail before the Karnataka High Court

While seeking bail in the Renukaswamy murder case, Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa Srinivas on Tuesday argued before the Karnataka High Court that the deceased was a “threat to orderly society” as he would send vulgar messages.

“Messages were shared not only with me, but also with several women. I am certainly not saying that this could be the reason for his death… A man (deceased) who has no respect, no regard for women in society, a lawless person whom he has glorified has been made a national hero in case my image in society is tarnished,” consulted his lawyer Senior Advocate CV Nagesh.

Judge S. Vishwajith Shetty was hearing the bail pleas filed by Darshan and other co-accused, including Pavitra Gowda.

Referring to the alleged messages, Nagesh argued that the deceased had no respect for women and that he was a “lawless one”.

Darshan and 16 others have been charged with offenses punishable under Section 120B (Conspiracy), 201 (destruction of evidence), 364 (Kidnapping/kidnapping), 302 (murder) and Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

During the hearing, Nagesh pointed out the alleged discrepancies in the prosecution’s evidence regarding kidnapping, destruction of evidence and recovery of material from the crime scene and also from his own house.

He alleged that the police were aware of the crime scene even before Darshan’s arrest and yet no panchanama has been seized. He alleged that the panchnama was prepared only on June 11 to show as if it was done at his request. He also argued that no judicial investigation was conducted until June 11; even the autopsy was performed until then, even though the body was found on June 9.

It was also alleged that the doctor’s assessment of the time of death was based on the photographs the doctor had received from the police.

Nagesh refuted the allegation of kidnapping the deceased from Chitradurga and taken to Bengaluru. He said: “To indicate that the deceased was removed by force or deceit, there is absolutely no evidence in the final report. The deceased father has stated that his son went from Chitradurga to Bengaluru alone. If Milord accepts this statement, prima facie it does not reveal that the deceased was not removed from Chitradurga by force or fraud.

In regards to the recovery of nylon rope, tree branches and another sharp weapon from the crime scene. Nagesh said, “The panchanama of June 12 is a clearly fabricated document and the prosecution has not given any explanation as to why they did not seize the materials on June 9, 10 and 11? Why did they wait until June 12 when they knew the scene of the crime.”

Similarly, he said that as per the accused’s voluntary statement, there was no mention of him wearing shoes or chappals at the time of the alleged crime. However, police claim to have recovered blood-stained shoes worn by the suspect at the time of the crime. The jeans and T-shirts worn by the suspect were also washed three days after the alleged crime and thus the possibility of recovery of blood-stained clothing appears to be fabricated.

He even claimed that one bottle of the deceased’s blood was available at the FSL and the possibility of a concoction cannot be ruled out. When the bloodstains were not found at the time the shoes and clothes were recovered.

Nagesh also said that the money recovered from the suspect was a loan amount returned to him by one Mohan a month before the crime. The conversation data relied on by the Prosecutor concerns conversations I have had with people I have known for years, including my manager, girlfriend, employees, driver, etc.

He even denied that the prosecution had any material evidence regarding the conspiracy charge and that reliance on eyewitness evidence was questionable.

The court will hear the case further on Thursday.

Case Title: Darshan AND Karnataka State

Case number: CRL.P 11096/2024