New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed serious doubts over the Karnataka High Court’s decision to grant bail to Kannada actor Darshan in the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said they were “not at all convinced” by the way the High Court exercised its discretion in granting bail.
Addressing senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Darshan, the bench noted, “We will hear you because your clients are out on bail, but the manner in which the High Court dictated the order is questionable.”
Darshan, along with actress Pavithra Gowda and others, faces charges of abducting and torturing Renukaswamy, a 33-year-old fan who allegedly sent inappropriate messages to Pavithra. The police allege that Renukaswamy was held captive in a shed in Bengaluru for 3 days in June 2024, subjected to severe torture, and later found dead in a drain.
The state government had challenged the High Court’s December 13, 2024 bail order, prompting the Supreme Court’s intervention.
