On 13 December 2024, Karnataka High Court granted regular bail to to the actor and several co-accused.
Published Jul 24, 2025 | 3:31 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 24, 2025 | 3:31 PM
Kannada actor Darshan
Synopsis: The Supreme Court reserved its order on Karnataka’s plea to cancel actor Darshan’s bail in the Renukaswamy murder case. The court questioned the High Court’s rationale, likening the bail to an acquittal. Darshan, arrested in June 2024, allegedly orchestrated the murder over obscene messages sent to Pavithra Gowda. He was granted bail in December 2024.
Supreme Court on Thursday, 24 July, reserved orders after hearing Karnataka government’s plea for cancellation of bail granted to actor Darshan in an alleged murder case of Renukaswamy.
The plea was heard by Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan. Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appeared for State of Karnataka and advocate Siddharth Dave appeared for Darshan.
On 13 December 2024, Karnataka High Court granted regular bail to to the actor and several co-accused.
According to Livelaw, the apex court also had criticised the high court for granting the bail. Justice Pardiwala said, “Don’t you think the High Court has basically given acquittal to seven? Very sorry to say, does the High Court dictate the same order in all bail applications? What is troubling us is the manner in which the court dealt, and says in the end that grounds of arrest on assigned in 302. How can a High Court judge say that? We can understand a sessions judge committing such mistakes.”
Further questioning if the high court had applied it’s mind judicially, the justice added, “we will not commit the same mistake as high court did, we will not give any judgment for conviction or acquittal.”
J Pardiwala: in a lighter way, dont you think the high court has basically given acquittal to seven. very sorry to say, does the high court dictate same order in all bail applications? what is troubling us is the manner in which court dealt, and says in the end that grounds of…
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) July 24, 2025
The Supreme Court earlier too orally remarked that it is not at all convinced in the manner the Karnataka High Court exercised its discretion in granting bail to Darshan. It also asked Darshan’s lawyers to give good reasons as to why the court should not interfere with the High Court’s decision.
Darshan was arrested on 11 June 2024 in connection with the murder of Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga.
The victim’s body was found near a stormwater drain on the outskirts of Bengaluru, bearing multiple injury marks.
Darshan was reportedly angered after Renukaswamy sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda and had him abducted and killed in a parking shed.
The actor and several of his close associates were arrested, after an attempt by Darshan to get others to take responsibility for the killing and surrender in his stead for a promise of money failed.
After spending nearly four and a half months in judicial custody, the Karnataka High Court granted him interim bail for six weeks to undergo spine surgery, on 30 October 2024.
The court required him to surrender his passport and execute a personal bond of ₹2 lakh with two sureties for the same amount.
