File photo of actor and murder accused Darshan Thoogudeepa
Credit: DH Photo/B K Janardhan
Bengaluru: A Bengaluru court on Wednesday permitted Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa, currently jailed in the Renukaswamy murder case, to receive fresh clothes and beddings from his family once a month.
The Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge (CCH-57) also stated that charges will be framed on Friday and directed all accused to be present without fail.
Darshan, currently lodged at the Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara, had filed an application before the court, seeking to be moved out of the quarantine cell and to be given additional facilities.
He claimed that prison authorities had provided him with torn bedsheets (jamkhana) and bed covers (chaddar).
The court, however, granted only limited relief, allowing his family to supply fresh clothes, bedsheets and bed covers once a month, as permitted for undertrial prisoners.
The actor also filed an Interlocutory Application under Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), alleging that jail staff had "discriminated" against him. He sought details of other jail inmates kept in quarantine since their admission so that the court can take a view.
The court dismissed this application, observing that jail authorities could decide on moving him out of the quarantine cell depending on security considerations.
Meanwhile, strengthening the prosecution, the court took on record a memo filed on October 24 by Special Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar, stating that all the accused, including Darshan, were not cooperating and were deliberately delaying the trial.
The court dismissed all discharge applications and directed both parties to cooperate for the speedy disposal of the case.
Renukaswamy, a 33-year-old resident of Chitradurga, was found murdered near a stormwater drain in Sumanahalli, west Bengaluru, on June 9, 2024. His body was badly mutilated.
Police arrested Darshan, his female friend Pavithra Gowda and seven others two days later. More arrests followed subsequently.
According to police, the motive behind the murder was Renukaswamy’s "obscene" messages to Pavithra on social media.
On September 3, 2024, police filed a 3,991-page charge sheet, naming Pavithra as accused 1 and Darshan as accused 2, detailing the brutality of the crime.