Fan murder case: Court allows Darshan certain facilities in jail, refuses transfer to Ballary prison

Bengaluru, Sep 9 A trial court, hearing the sensational fan murder case, on Tuesday directed the Bengaluru Central Prison authorities to provide the facilities sought by accused actor Darshan, as per the prison manual, while rejecting the plea to shift him to Ballary prison.

The 57th CCH court permitted Darshan to take walks within the premises of the Bengaluru Central Prison. It also allowed him to have a bed, bedsheets, and a pillow inside the prison.

The court, however, warned that if the prison manual is violated by Darshan or any other accused, appropriate action could be initiated by the Inspector General of Prisons. It also noted that there are no valid reasons to shift Darshan to Ballary prison.

The court further emphasised that the rights of prisoners within the jail must be respecte. Additional facilities such as a bed and pillow were granted as a conditional relief, and transfer to Bellary has been ruled out for now. However, in case of indiscipline by Darshan, he could be transferred as a disciplinary measure.

Earlier, Darshan had pleaded before the court to be given poison, claiming that he was going through immense hardship in prison. His statement came after he was produced before the trial court via video conference on Monday.

At the end of the proceedings, with all the accused present through video conferencing, Darshan raised his hand and claimed that he needed to convey an important matter to the court. "It has been more than a month since I saw sunlight, and my hands are affected by fungus. Hence, please pass an order to give me poison in court," he said with tears in his eyes.

Specifically asking the judge to provide poison only for him and not for any other accused person. Darshan further claimed that he is unable to continue living under such conditions.

The Supreme Court overturned the Karnataka High Court’s decision granting the actor bail.

A bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan had questioned the High Court’s order, remarking that it had passed a decision on bail as if it were deciding conviction or acquittal.

The bench questioned whether the High Court gives such orders in other cases as well and added that they will not “repeat such a mistake.”

The Supreme Court also said that, in this case, there was a prima facie misuse of judicial power. Such an error by a lower court judge might still be acceptable, but it is not right for a High Court judge to make such a mistake, it said.

The case relates to the murder of Renukaswamy, whose body was found on a flyover in Bengaluru on June 9, 2024.

Renukaswamy, 33, was a fan of Darshan and it is alleged that he was kidnapped and then murdered at Darshan’s behest, as he had been harassing Darshan’s female friend, Pavitra Gowda.

The incident took place in Pattangere village in Bengaluru. It is alleged that Renukaswamy was beaten to death, and Darshan was informed of his death via WhatsApp.

On August 6, Darshan and Pavithra Gowda had requested the Supreme Court not to cancel the bail.

In his submission, made through his counsel, Darshan claimed that there is no evidence linking him to the crime, while Gowda said that she is a single parent of a daughter studying in Class 10 and also needs to take care of her aged parents.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor