"Surrender Or Face Arrest" Message For Darshan After Top Court Cancels Bail

Darshan Thoogudeepa must surrender, or the state will move to arrest him, asserted a top aide of the Karnataka chief minister, moments after the Supreme Court set aside a Karnataka High Court order and cancelled the bail given to the popular Kannada actor in a fan's murder case.

The actor is a key accused in the Renukaswamy murder case that had sent shockwaves through the Kannada film industry last year. He must be taken into custody, ordered a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan this morning, stating that the trial may be impacted and the witnesses influenced if the actor remains out on bail.

Speaking to NDTV, AS Ponanna, legal advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, welcomed the Supreme Court order and said that the government had opposed his bail even in the high court.

"The government's stand has been that Darshan should not get bail. It hampers the free and fair trial. It hampers the due process of law. He is a very powerful and popular actor. He will flex his muscles to influence the prosecution's witnesses. The Supreme Court has accepted our plea that his bail be cancelled, and it is better to have him in judicial custody at least during the trial proceedings," he said.

In Darshan's case, he pointed out that his background and antecedents are very important. "Crime and criminal cases are not new to him," he added.

Asked how soon Darshan is expected to be taken into custody, he replied, "Immediately".

"The Supreme Court has not given him any time. In all fairness, Darshan must come and surrender so that he can be taken into custody. In the event he resists, we will arrest him immediately. I think the police are already looking for his whereabouts. I hope he will go down the due process of law and surrender," said Mr Ponanna.

He also assured that no VIP treatment will be given to the murder-accused actor in jail.

Read: "Take Darshan Into Custody": Top Court Cancels Actor's Bail, Slams High Court 

The actor had earlier been filmed receiving special treatment at a Bengaluru jail. Leaked photos had surfaced on social media, showing the actor relaxing on a chair with a cup of coffee, holding a cigarette. This drew a sharp warning from the Supreme Court.

"The day we come to know that the accused persons are being provided five-star treatment, the first step would be to place the superintendent into suspension along with all other officials," said Justice Pardiwala.

The court also came down heavily on the high court for granting bail to the murder-accused actor, calling the earlier decision a "perverse" exercise of judicial order.

Mr Ponanna also assured that the government will look into the medical grounds on which he was earlier granted bail for any discrepancies. The actor was given six weeks' interim bail in October after he claimed he was experiencing numbness in both his feet and needed surgery.

Renukaswamy, 33, was allegedly kidnapped from his hometown in Chitradurga on June 8 last year, on the instructions of Darshan, after he had made lewd comments on his co-star Pavithra Gowda. He was brought to a shed in Bengaluru, where he was tied up and beaten with wooden clubs. He was given electric shocks, too.

After he died, his body was dumped in the drain at midnight. It was discovered on June 9. The accused had discarded his mobile, but the investigation somehow led the cops to the crime spot, where they found bloodstains. Renukaswamy's autopsy report later said he died of a "shock haemorrhage" due to multiple blunt injuries.

Darshan, Ms Gowda, and 15 others were initially arrested in the case. The actor was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court last December.