A Bengaluru court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, his friend Pavithra Gowda, and others involved in the Renukaswamy murder case until September 9.
All 17 accused, including Darshan and Pavithra, appeared before the magistrate court via video conferencing from Bengaluru and Tumakuru prisons, as their judicial custody expired today.
The extension follows a remand application filed by the police. The 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate granted permission on Tuesday to transfer Darshan, currently in judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, to a prison in Ballari. This decision came after a photograph of Darshan with three others, including a known rowdy-sheeter, on the jail grounds went viral on Sunday, causing an uproar.
The court also approved the transfer of other co-accused to various prisons across the state. Pawan, Raghavendra, and Nandish will be moved to Mysuru Jail; Jagadish and Lakshmana to Shivamogga Jail; Dhanraj to Dharwad Jail; Vinay to Vijayapura Jail; Nagaraj to Kalaburagi/Gulbarga Jail; and Pradosh to Belagavi Jail. Pavithra Gowda, Anukumar, and Deepak will remain at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, while Ravi, Karthik, Nikhil, and Keshavamurthy were previously transferred to Tumakuru prison.
On Monday (August 26), nine prison officials, including the Chief Superintendent of Parappana Agrahara Jail, were suspended due to “lapses” revealed in a preliminary probe into the “special treatment” afforded to Darshan. Three FIRs have been registered, including against Darshan, under sections of the Prisons Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police sources reported that 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which allegedly incited Darshan and led to Renukaswamy’s murder. His body was discovered near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli on June 9.
Raghavendra, one of the accused and a member of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, allegedly brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar under the pretense of a meeting with the actor. It was in this shed that Renukaswamy was allegedly tortured and murdered. The post-mortem report indicated that Renukaswamy died from shock and hemorrhage due to multiple blunt injuries.
Police sources have stated that Pavithra, the first accused, played a significant role in the murder. The investigation reportedly shows that she instigated the other accused, conspired with them, and participated in the crime.
