The Karnataka High Court is set to announce its decision on Wednesday regarding the interim bail plea of actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who is currently incarcerated as an accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.
Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty reserved the order on Tuesday after hearing extensive arguments from Darshan’s legal counsel, senior advocate C.V. Nagesh, and State Public Prosecutor P. Prasanna Kumar.
During the proceedings, the State submitted sealed medical reports from doctors at Ballari Central Prison, as well as the Head of the Department of Neurology at a government hospital in Ballari. Nagesh contended that Darshan is suffering from numbness in both feet and requested permission for surgery at a private hospital in Mysuru, with all expenses to be borne by the actor.
The Prosecutor opposed the interim bail, arguing that the medical documents lacked clarity regarding the duration of Darshan’s hospitalization. Kumar also suggested that the surgery could be performed at a government facility.
In response, the court referenced Supreme Court precedents cited by Nagesh, indicating that the State cannot dictate where an undertrial receives medical care.
However, Justice Shetty questioned Nagesh’s choice of Mysuru for the procedure, asking, “Why Mysuru? Let a doctor in Bengaluru assess the urgency and duration of the surgery. Interim bail is time-limited, and we need to understand how long you would be hospitalized.”
Nagesh maintained his request for the surgery to be conducted in Mysuru, while Kumar proposed that Darshan, who was arrested on June 11, undergo a health evaluation by a state-appointed medical board.
Darshan’s bail application, filed on September 21, was denied by a sessions court, prompting him to seek interim bail from the High Court to facilitate medical treatment.
According to police reports, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, a co-accused in the case.
This reportedly angered Darshan and allegedly led to Renukaswamy’s murder. His body was discovered near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli on June 9.
One of the accused, Raghavendra, a member of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, had lured Renukaswamy to a shed in R.R. Nagar under the pretense that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that he was allegedly tortured and murdered.
The post-mortem report indicated that Renukaswamy died from shock and hemorrhage caused by multiple blunt injuries.
Police have stated that Pavithra, identified as the primary accused, was a significant instigator in Renukaswamy’s murder, as evidenced by the investigation which concluded that she conspired with others and participated in the crime.
