Bengaluru, April 8 A Bengaluru court, which is hearing the sensational fan murder case, on Tuesday took serious objection to the absence of key accused, Kannada actor Darshan.
The Civil and Sessions Judge stated that Darshan must appear before the court in all future hearings and that no excuses will be entertained for his absence.
Darshan’s counsel submitted an exemption petition, stating that the actor is suffering from back pain and is unable to attend the proceedings. He requested that Darshan be granted relief from appearing in court.
Of the 17 accused in the case, 16, including the prime accused Pavithra Gowda, Darshan’s partner, appeared before the court.
The matter has been adjourned to May 20.
Darshan has resumed shooting for his upcoming film "Devil". Since his release from prison on October 30, 2024, after spending 131 days in custody, he has been participating in shoots in Mysuru and Rajasthan for the movie, and is also scheduled to travel to Hyderabad for filming, sources said. They added that due to his hectic shooting schedule, his back pain has worsened.
Earlier, in a big relief to the actor, an accused in the Ranukaswamy murder case, the Karnataka High Court on February 28 allowed him to travel across the country. Earlier, Darshan was not allowed to travel out of Bengaluru and the limits of the session's court.
Darshan, Pavithra, and 15 others were arrested on June 11, 2024, on charges of kidnapping and brutally murdering Renukaswamy, a fan from Chitradurga.
Renukaswamy had allegedly sent derogatory and obscene messages to Pavithra, angry over the fact that Darshan maintained a relationship with her despite being married.
Sources close to Darshan revealed that Pavithra competed with Darshan's wife, Vijayalaxmi, over jewellery and luxury cars.
She allegedly pressured Darshan to make public appearances with her after he had been seen with his wife. Pavithra and Vijayalaxmi also had public spats via social media posts, which led Darshan's fans to take sides.
Renukaswamy, who supported Vijayalaxmi, criticised Pavithra, which ultimately led to his brutal death, according to police findings.
The Karnataka Police have challenged the bail granted to Darshan and others in the Supreme Court. The apex court on January 24 had issued notice to Darshan, Pavithra and five others in connection with the appeal petition filed by the Karnataka government challenging the bail order.
While granting bail, the court asked him and the other accused in the case to appear before it every month.
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