Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 18 : Former Congress MP and actor Ramya welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to revoke actor Darshan Thoogudeepa's bail in the Renukaswamy murder case.
Speaking with ANI, Ramya said, "I appreciate the Supreme Court's judgment. Everyone is equal before the law. It sends out a message to the public at large that everybody is equal before the law. The law will take its own course, and justice will be served."
A bench of Justices R Mahadevan and JB Pardiwala found that the Karnataka High Court had granted bail to Darshan by overlooking serious evidence and relying on inadequate grounds contrary to established legal principles in murder cases.
"The mere filing of the chargesheet, the existence of a long list of witnesses, or the possibility of delay in trial, cannot, by themselves, constitute valid reasons to dilute the gravity of the offence or to disregard the case put forth by the prosecution", the Court noted in its verdict.
Additionally, the top court noted that, as per the record, Darshan made clear attempts to interfere with the investigation, including being involved in arranging false surrenders by co-accused persons, making payments to conceal the crime, and leveraging connections with police to manipulate the FIR and postmortem process.
"There is also evidence of CCTV footage being deleted from another accused's residence and ongoing influence over prosecution witnesses, as demonstrated by public appearances after bail, on part of the Kannada actor," the court added.
"The appellant alleged that A2 is not merely misusing liberty post-bail but is the mastermind of efforts to derail the investigation," it said.
Ultimately, the Court found that in the present case, the High Court, granted bail to Actor Darshan based on contradictory findings without a coherent or legally consistent rationale."
The HC while granting bail (to Darshan) recorded that he was not present at the crime scene, but at the same time, accepted that he was in telephonic contact with other accused at crucial times. It also noted that there was no strong motive, while also acknowledging post hostility and prior-enmity with the deceased," the top-court noted.
Notably, the top-court also emphasized that popularity and social status cannot justify bail when there's a real risk to the investigation or trial. It also noted that in this case, the High Court erred by treating Darshan's celebrity status as a mitigating factor, despite evidence of his misuse of jail privileges, political influence, and ability to undermine the justice system.
"Popularity cannot be a shield for impunity. As this Court held, influence, resources and social status cannot form a basis for granting bail where there is a genuine risk of prejudice to the investigation or trial... Notably, celebrities serve as social role models - accountability is greater, not lesser. They, by virtue of their fame and public presence, wield substantial influence on public behaviour and social values. Granting leniency to such persons despite grave charges of conspiracy and murder, sends wrong message to society and undermines public confidence in the justice system," the Court noted.
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