Supreme Court Monday sought a status report from the trial court in Bengaluru about the ongoing trial in the 2024 Renukaswamy murder case, in which the main accused are Kannada actors Darshan Thoogudeepa and Pavitra Gowda and their associates.The report has to specify how many witnesses have been examined, how many remain and how much time it would take to complete the trial.An SC bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi, also issued notices on a petition filed by Darshan, seeking bail in the case.Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Darshan, submitted that as SC had cancelled the bail on Aug 14, 2025, the actor has so far spent one year in jail on the whole. He claimed that though SC cautioned against giving five-star treatment, the petitioner is being denied even basic facilities and has been put in a quarantine cell.Out of 262 witnesses, only 10 have been examined so far, and the completion of the process would take a long time. The petitioner has to remain in incarceration for a long time, which violates his rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, he said.Darshan’s counsel also claimed that the actor is being discriminated against as he has not been allowed to either receive or purchase food, clothing and bedding from private sources as permitted under the Karnataka Prisons Act, 1963.MSID:: 130801076 413 |
