Setback for actor Darshan: Plea against co-accused turning approver rejected

Darshan had moved the High Court challenging an August 10 order passed by the sessions court, which rejected his application seeking a right to an audience before deciding on Pradosh’s request.

Senior Advocate Hashmath Pasha, appearing for Darshan, argued that a co-accused’s right to be heard cannot be stripped away, especially to point out procedural irregularities in the approver application.

Darshan’s petition further claimed that ever since the Supreme Court cancelled Pradosh’s bail, he had stopped communicating with Darshan and had developed a “nemesis” towards his co-accused. The plea alleged that Pradosh filed the application to exact revenge and under the “misguided impression” that turning approver would grant him immediate release on bail.

Prosecution’s stand

Opposing Darshan’s plea, Special Public Prosecutor Prasanna Kumar submitted that a co-accused has no legal right to an audience regarding another accused’s plea to turn approver. He argued that granting pardon falls strictly under judicial discretion, taking into account the prosecution’s stance.

Renukaswamy, a 33-year-old auto driver from Chitradurga and a fan of Darshan, was allegedly kidnapped and murdered in June 2024 for sending derogatory Instagram messages to actor Pavithra Gowda, a close friend of Darshan. His body was later recovered from a stormwater drain in Bengaluru.

Darshan, Gowda, and 13 others were arrested in connection with the gruesome killing. While Darshan was initially granted bail, the Supreme Court later cancelled it. The trial is currently underway before a Bengaluru sessions court, with 22 witnesses examined so far.