Will Actor Darshan Get Interim Bail? High Court Verdict Likely Today

Actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was arrested with his friend and actor Pavithra Gowda and 15 others for the torture and murder of one of his fans, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, in Bengaluru in June and had approached the Karnataka High Court for interim bail.

Darshan has sought interim bail on the grounds that he is experiencing numbness in both feet. On Tuesday, the actor's lawyer requested the court for permission for his surgery to be performed at a private hospital in Mysuru.

The request was opposed by the public prosecutor, who said that the medical documents did not specify how many days Darshan would need to be hospitalised and argued that the surgery could be conducted at a government hospital.

Justice S Vishwajith Shetty asked, "Why Mysuru? Let a doctor in Bengaluru examine you (Darshan) and provide an assessment of the surgery's urgency and duration. Interim bail is time-limited, and we need to understand how long you would be hospitalised."

The prosecutor also argued that Darshan should undergo a health evaluation by a state-appointed medical board.

After hearing both sides, the judge reserved his verdict and is likely to pronounce it today. 

The police had said Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. 

Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan's fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in Bengauluru's RR Nagar. 

The chargesheet had detailed the inhuman treatment meted out to Renukaswamy, including being jolted with electric shocks on his private parts. Gowda, who had allegedly instigated the murder, was also allegedly present when Renukaswamy was tortured. 

"Despite my son's constant pleas and agreeing that he did wrong, they tortured him so badly with no mercy. It causes me immense pain. Did they have no mercy whatsoever? They gave him shocks and tortured him, sparing no body part. Imagine how much pain he must have experienced. Thinking about this causes us a lot of pain," Renukaswamy's father Kashinath Shivanagoudar had said.