Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and three of his associates were on Saturday remanded to judicial custody till July 4 by the trial court in Karnataka. Darshan, his close friend Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others were arrested recently for the alleged murder of Renukaswamy from Chitradurga.
The 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) issued the order after the police filed the final remand application. While Darshan, Vinay, Dhanraj and Pradosh were in police custody for 13 days, Pavithra Gowda and 12 others were sent to judicial custody on June 20 after being questioned by the investigators for 11 days.
After the extended police custody ended today, the trial court has now sent Darshan to judicial custody along with three of his alleged accomplices, Vinay, Pradosh and Dhanaraj.
Notably, during the remand hearing today, the prosecution requested that the accused persons be shifted to Tumkur District Jail since there were apprehensions that jail inmates, who are Darshan’s fans, may attack his co-accused. The request was opposed by the counsel for the co-accused. The trial court will hear the issue further on June 24 and decide.