Supreme Court slams Karnataka HC for granting bail to actor Darshan: "Perverse exercise of power"

Actor Darshan

The Karnataka High Court's decision to grant bail to actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, the primary suspect in the gruesome murder case of his fan Renukaswamy, has drawn harsh criticism from the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court voiced grave concerns about the case's handling, calling the bail order "a perverse exercise of judicial discretion."

After hearing thorough arguments from both sides in the well-known case involving actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, a bench made up of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan has reserved its decision. The Supreme Court has given the attorneys for a few of the defendants a week to turn in their written arguments.

The case concerns a plea that the Karnataka state government filed contesting the December 13, 2024, High Court order that granted Darshan and other co-accused people bail.

Actress Pavithra Gowda is one of the co-accused, along with Darshan and a number of other people, for allegedly kidnapping and torturing a fan, Renukaswamy, age 33.

The police claim that Renukaswamy was kidnapped after sending Pavithra Gowda pornographic messages. According to reports, the victim was tortured while imprisoned in a shed in Bengaluru for three days in June 2024. Later, his body was found discarded in a drain.

Based on the state government's petition to reverse the bail order, the Supreme Court had previously sent notices to Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, and other parties involved in the case on January 24.

(Inputs from PTI)