Actor Darshan gets bail in Renukaswamy murder case on medical grounds, released from Ballari prison

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Actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was arrested in the Renukaswamy murder case on June 11, walked out of jail in Ballari, Karnataka, on Wednesday, October 30, hours after the High Court (HC) granted him interim bail on medical grounds, to undergo spine surgery, news agency PTI reported.

Darshan's friend, Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others are the co-accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.

A single bench of Justice S Vishwajith Shetty on Wednesday morning granted interim bail to Darshan for a period of six weeks. He was released from prison in the evening after the jail authorities completed formalities on receiving the court order.

According to police sources, Darshan will take a route via neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to reach Bengaluru, and security is being provided to him.

According to PTI, the Karnataka HC has laid down certain conditions, as per which Darshan should execute a personal bond for a sum of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties for the like sum, and surrender his passport before the trial court.

It has also said that he is "at liberty to get himself operated and treated in a hospital of his choice at Bengaluru and he shall report to the said hospital forthwith after his release and get himself medically examined and a report from the said hospital mentioning the probable date of petitioner's surgery, period of admission of petitioner in the Hospital for the proposed treatment and follow-up treatment if any, shall be filed before this Court within one week from the date of release."

Karnataka HC sets bail conditions

The other conditions imposed on Darshan by HC while granting him interim bail state that he shall not "directly or indirectly threaten or tamper" with the prosecution witnesses. The actor has also been asked to "refrain" himself from appearing before print, (electronic) media or any social media to give any statement on any issue including his health condition, during the interim bail.

The court has also asked Darshan to surrender before the committal court/trial court immediately after the expiry of the interim bail period. "The bail would be, however, subject to further order of this court", the HC said, adding that the actor shall not leave the jurisdiction of the trial court during the period of interim bail.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the government "respectfully welcomes" the decision of HC, granting interim bail to Darshan.

"I will not question the verdict of the court. The government will respectfully welcome the decision of the court," he told reporters here in response to a question.

The family of Renukaswamy, who was allegedly killed by Darshan and others, declined to comment on the court granting him interim bail, but expressed confidence that the guilty will be punished as they have faith in the judiciary and police.

"Bail has been granted under the legal system, we cannot comment on it. We have faith that the guilty will be punished. We have faith in law and the police. (Darshan's) treatment is a matter for the Doctor, him and the court, we don't want to comment on it," Renukaswamy's father Kashinath Shivanagoudar told reporters in Davangere.

Renukaswamy was tortured before murder: Police

"We don't have anything to say other than that the guilty should be punished. We have faith in law and judiciary, so we are confident that the guilty will be punished," he added.

Sahana, Renukaswamy's wife, had given birth to a baby boy on October 16. She was five months pregnant when her husband was killed.

Darshan's fans burst into celebration in various parts of Karnataka, following the court order. Waving Darshan's posters, hundreds of his fans distributed sweets and burst crackers in several areas of Ballari and Bengaluru, among others, PTI reported.

The actor's wife, Vijayalakshmi, performed a special prayer at Durgamma Temple in the district headquarters town of Ballari, where her husband is lodged in a prison.

On Tuesday, the court had reserved the order on the bail application after hearing detailed arguments from the actor's legal representative, senior advocate CV Nagesh, and State Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar.

The state had presented medical reports of the actor in a sealed cover. The reports had been submitted by doctors at Ballari Central Prison and the Head of the Department of Neurology at a government hospital in the state.

According to the police, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Pavithra, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. His body was found near a storm water drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli in Karnataka on June 9.

Raghavendra, one of the accused who is a part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in RR Nagar on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. The victim was allegedly tortured and murdered in the shed.

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died owing to shock and hemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries.

The police have said that Pavithra, who is 'accused number one', was the "major cause" for Renukaswamy's murder, claiming that it has been proved from the probe that she "instigated" the other accused, "conspired" with them, and took part in the crime.

(With PTI inputs)