The Supreme Court on Thursday revoked the bail granted to Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, and five co-accused — Lakshman, Nagaraj, Pradosh, Anu Kumar, and Jagadish — in the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan set aside the Karnataka High Court’s earlier order, stating that it suffered from “serious infirmities” and appeared to be a “mechanical exercise” conducted at the pre-trial stage. The court observed that the trial court was the appropriate forum to consider bail and that the well-founded allegations, supported by forensic evidence, justified cancellation.
Darshan and 16 others were arrested in June 2024 for allegedly abducting, torturing, and killing 33-year-old S. Renukaswamy, a fan who had reportedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda. Police said the victim was held in a Bengaluru shed for three days before his body was found in a drain.
The case has drawn intense public and media attention, with viral videos surfacing — including one showing Darshan making an obscene gesture toward the press.
