Renukaswamy allegedly sent obscene messages to actor Pavithra Gowda, who is also an accused in the case.
- Darshan is a key accused in the kidnapping and murder of one of his fans, Renukaswamy
- While cancelling his bail, the Supreme Court had social status cannot be a factor in granting relief
- Darshan was arrested from his wife's residence in Bengaluru's Hosakerehalli
Hours after his bail was cancelled by the Supreme Court in connection with the murder of his fan Renukaswamy, actor Darshan has been arrested by the Bengaluru Police.
Darshan went to his wife's residence in Bengaluru's Hosakerehalli on Thursday afternoon and entered the complex from an alternate gate and in a car that he does not usually use. He met his wife and son. The police arrived after they were informed of the actor's presence there and he was taken into custody. He was taken to the Annapoorneshwari police station and, after completing formalities and a medical check-up, he will be produced before a court and sent back behind bars.
Earlier on Thursday, a Supreme Court bench had cancelled the bail given to the popular Kannada actor by the Karnataka High Court in December. Ordering that he be taken into custody, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had said he could influence witnesses and the trial could be impacted if he remained out on bail.
The bench had also observed that the Karnataka High Court had committed a "manifest perversity" in treating Darshan's celebrity status as a factor while granting him bail.
"Popularity cannot be a shield for impunity. Influence, resources and social status cannot form a basis for granting bail where there is a genuine risk of prejudice to the investigation or trial," it said.
The bail of Darshan's alleged partner and co-accused Pavithra Gowda had been cancelled as well, and she has also been arrested from her residence.
33-year-old Renukaswamy was allegedly abducted by Darshan and his aides from Chitradurga and then tortured in a shed in Bengaluru in June last year over obscene messages sent to Ms Gowda.
The chargesheet in the case had revealed that Renukaswamy was not only assaulted but also given shocks to his private parts using an electrical device. The repeated shocks also damaged one of his testicles.
"After being assaulted by Darshan and his gang, Renukaswamy's chest bones were broken. There are a total of 39 injury marks all over his body. There is also a deep cut on the victim's head," the chargesheet said.
After Renukaswamy died, his body was thrown into a drain.
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