SC Issues Notice on Karnataka Police’s Challenge to Actor Darshan’s Bail in Murder Case

On January 24, the Supreme Court issued a notice in response to a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Karnataka State Government. The petition challenges an order of the Karnataka High Court, which had granted bail to actor Darshan in connection with the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case. The State Government has expressed concerns over the High Court's decision, arguing that it might undermine the gravity of the charges against the accused and could potentially hinder the ongoing investigation.

The Renukaswamy murder case has garnered significant public and media attention, given its controversial nature and the involvement of prominent individuals. By filing the SLP, the Karnataka Government has sought to bring the matter before the Supreme Court to reassess the High Court's decision and ensure that justice is served in accordance with the law. The Supreme Court's decision to issue notice indicates its willingness to examine the merits of the case and the propriety of the High Court's bail order. This development highlights the critical role of judicial oversight in ensuring fairness and accountability in matters involving serious criminal allegations.

Senior Advocate Luthra argued that the co-accused in the case should not be permitted to benefit from the findings of the Karnataka High Court. Addressing the concern, a bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan declined to stay the High Court’s order, noting that doing so would effectively amount to canceling the bail granted to the accused. However, the bench emphasized that the findings of the Karnataka High Court should not be relied upon or used as precedent in any manner by the co-accused. This direction ensures that the High Court’s observations remain confined to the specific bail proceedings and do not inadvertently impact the larger case or other related matters.

The Court ordered: "The State prays for the cancellation of bail. The High Court has delivered a lengthy judgment granting bail to some of the accused persons. The apprehension expressed today by the State is that other co-accused should not be permitted to take benefit of finding recorded by the High Court in the impugned order which is now a subject-matter of the challenge before us. Since State is praying for cancellation of bail, it would not be proper for us to stay the operation of order as otherwise it would amount to cancelling of bail. Yet, to protect the interest of prosecution, we may only clarify that if other co-accused prays on bail, the Court concerned shall not place reliance on the impugned order before us. However, if any bail application filed by any co-accused, it be decided on its own merit."

According to the chargesheet, actor Darshan was implicated in the murder of his 33-year-old 'fan,' who allegedly sent obscene messages to actress Pavithra Gowda. Darshan is accused of orchestrating the abduction of the deceased from Chitradurga, subjecting him to three days of torture in a Bengaluru shed in June 2024. The victim later succumbed to the abuse, with his body reportedly dumped in a drain, as per the police. Along with Darshan, co-accused Pavitra, Anu Kumar, Lakshman M, V Vinay, Jagadeesh, Pradoosh S Rao, and Nagaraju R had filed bail applications in the Karnataka High Court after their requests were denied by the session’s court. Previously, the court had granted bail to Keshavamurthy. During the proceedings, on October 30, the High Court had also granted Darshan interim medical bail to undergo surgery.