Darshan Thoogudeepa is released on bail: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday granted six weeks’ interim bail to jailed actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, an accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.

Single-judge bench S Vishwajith Shetty allowed the interim bail application filed by Darshan Thoogudeepa to enable him to undergo surgery.

Justice S Vishwajith Shetty had on Tuesday reserved the order on the bail plea after hearing detailed arguments from the actor’s legal representative, senior advocate CV Nagesh and state Attorney General P Prasanna Kumar.

The State submitted sealed medical reports from doctors at Ballari Central Prison, where Darshan Thoogudeepa is incarcerated, and from the head of the neurology department at a government hospital in Ballari.

What happened to Darshan Thoogudeepa?

Nagesh claimed that Darshan Thoogudeepa was suffering from numbness in both his feet and sought permission for his operation to be carried out at a private hospital in Mysuru, with the actor covering all associated costs.

The request for provisional release was opposed by the prosecutor, who said the medical documents lacked details on the number of days Darshan was hospitalized. Kumar also argued that the operation could be performed in a government hospital.

The court referred to Supreme Court precedents mentioned by Nagesh, emphasizing that the state does not have the power to dictate where an accused can receive medical treatment.

However, the court questioned Nagesh about choosing Mysuru for the operation. “Why Mysuru? Let a doctor in Bangalore examine you and assess the urgency and duration of the surgery. The interim bail is time-limited and we need to understand how long you would be hospitalized,” Justice Shetty said.

Nagesh reiterated his demand that the surgery be carried out at the Mysuru facility, while Kumar suggested that Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was arrested on June 11, undergo a health assessment by a state-appointed medical board.

Darshan Thoogudeepa’s bail plea, filed on September 21, was rejected by a sessions court. Following this, he petitioned the High Court and sought interim bail to receive treatment.

Murder of Renukaswamy

• Police said Darshan fan Renukaswamy, 33, sent obscene messages to her friend Pavithra Gowda (co-accused in the case), which angered the Kannada actor, allegedly leading to to his murder.
• Renukaswamy’s body was found near a storm drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli on June 9. Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in RR Nagar in Bengaluru on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this hangar that he was allegedly tortured and murdered.
• According to the autopsy report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and hemorrhage resulting from multiple blunt injuries.
• Police said Pavithra, who is accused number one, was the “major cause” of Renukaswamy’s murder, saying it was proved through investigation that she had instigated other accused, conspired with them and took part in the crime.

(With inputs from PTI)