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Journalism of Courage
Actor Darshan’s co-accused becomes approver in Renukaswamy murder case
Citing hostile witnesses and key vulnerabilities in its case, the prosecution backed Pradhosh Rao's plea for pardon, while the Bengaluru court rejected actor Darshan's petition to defer the order.
Actor Darshan is second accused in the Renukaswamy murder case (File photo).
In a significant development in the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case, in which Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa remains jailed, a Bengaluru court Wednesday granted pardon to an accused and admitted him as an approver.
Pradhosh Rao, accused No. 14, filed an application on August 5 seeking pardon in exchange for full and true disclosure. The prosecution submitted a memo supporting his plea, stating that the victim’s mother did not fully endorse the prosecution’s version during cross-examination, one witness became hostile, and another eyewitness might also fail to support the case.
The court questioned Rao, 40, on three separate occasions to confirm his decision was voluntary and that he understood the conditions: he must remain in custody throughout the trial and faces re-arraignment as an accused if he gives false evidence or suppresses material facts. Finding the application voluntary and consistent with the prosecution’s case, Judge Sujata M Sambrani allowed the plea subject to conditions.
Meanwhile, Darshan Thoogudeepa filed a petition seeking to defer the order on Rao’s application, alleging rivals within the Kannada film industry were targeting him. The court rejected Darshan’s petition.
Renukaswamy murder case
On June 11, 2024, Darshan Thoogudeepa was arrested alongside his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 others in connection with the murder of Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga, three days prior. All accused have remained in judicial custody since. The police allege that Renukaswamy was murdered after sending lewd comments to Pavithra Gowda on Instagram.
According to the prosecution, Rao arrived at the crime scene later, was directed to check Renukaswamy’s phone, and participated in the assault alongside others. Renukaswamy succumbed to his injuries at the scene, after which his body was moved and dumped near a storm-water drain outside an apartment complex.
The post-mortem recorded 39 injuries, including 13 bleeding wounds and 17 fractured ribs. The chargesheet also alleges that Rao was paid Rs 30 lakh to suppress evidence.
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The police filed multiple chargesheets in the case, naming Pavithra Gowda as accused No. 1 and Darshan Thoogudeepa as accused No. 2. The other co-accused are Pawan K, 29, Raghavendra, 43, Nandish, 28, Jagadish, 36, Anukumar, 25, Ravi Shankar, 32, Dhanraj D, 27, Vinay V, 38, Nagaraju, 41, Laxman, 54, Deepak, 39, Pradhosh Rao, Karthik, 27, Keshavamurthy, 27, and Nikhil Nayak, 21.
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