Supreme Court slams Karnataka HC for granting bail to actor Darshan Thoogudeepa in kidnap and murder case, calls it ‘perverse exercise of judicial power’

The Supreme Court on Thursday, 24th July, sharply criticised the Karnataka High Court for granting bail to Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa in the kidnap and murder case of 33-year-old Renukaswamy. The top court said the High Court’s decision looked like a “perverse exercise of judicial power.”

This is the second time in just a week that the Supreme Court has taken issue with the High Court’s handling of this case. Last week, it pointed out that the High Court had failed to properly use its discretion while granting bail to the actor.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan expressed deep concern over the High Court’s December 2024 bail order. The bench told the lawyer for actress Pavithra Gowda, the main accused, that they would not repeat the same mistake. “We are not here to decide if someone is guilty or not,” said an upset Justice Pardiwala. “But don’t you think the High Court’s bail order sounded more like an acquittal?” he asked.

The Supreme Court judges were unhappy with the way the High Court explained its reasons for giving bail. One particular reason that “the grounds of arrest were not provided” seemed especially troubling to the bench. “We are very sorry to say this,” Justice Pardiwala said, “but does the High Court use the same language in other murder cases too?”

Calling the bail order “prima facie a perverse exercise of judicial power,” the bench added, “If a trial court judge makes such a mistake, it can be accepted. But a High Court judge?”

The Supreme Court was also not satisfied with the state government’s handling of the case. When the court was informed that the trial would now take place daily, Justice Pardiwala questioned why this case was being given special treatment. “There are so many people in jail who have been waiting for years for their trials to begin,” he said.

The state later told the court that the trial would be completed within six months.

Background of the case

Darshan and 13 others are facing charges of kidnapping, torturing, and murdering Renukaswamy in June last year. Police say the victim had sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, who is a friend of Darshan. He was then allegedly abducted, beaten, and murdered by the actor’s associates. His body was later found dumped in a stormwater drain in Bengaluru on 9th June, 2024.

According to investigators, Darshan paid Rs 50 lakh to those involved in the crime. Out of that, Rs 30 lakh reportedly went to a man named Pradosh (alias Pawan), who is believed to have handled the entire operation, including the murder and body disposal. Two other men, Nikhil and Keshavamurthy, were allegedly paid Rs 5 lakh each for their roles. Another Rs 5 lakh was reportedly promised to the families of Raghavendra and Karthik, who gave false confessions and went to jail in place of Darshan and Pavithra.

Earlier this year, public outrage erupted when Darshan skipped a court hearing, citing back pain. But just hours later, he was seen attending a movie screening. The photographs last year also generated outrage, with Darshan and others lounging in lounge chairs, smoking in the jail garden.

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