In a major development in the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case, the Supreme Court on August 13, 2025 set aside the bail granted to Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and other co-accused. The bail had been granted by the Karnataka High Court on December 13, 2024, despite serious allegations linking the actor to the brutal killing of a 33-year-old man.

The case revolves around the death of Renukaswamy, a self-professed fan of Darshan, who allegedly sent obscene messages to actress Pavithra Gowda. According to the prosecution, this prompted Darshan and others to abduct and assault him, leading to his death.

A Bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan delivered the verdict after reserving judgment on July 24, 2025. The Court had earlier expressed serious reservations about the Karnataka High Court’s decision to grant bail, questioning whether the High Court had properly exercised its judicial discretion.

On July 17, the Bench had orally remarked:

“We are not at all convinced by the manner in which the Karnataka High Court exercised its discretion in granting bail to actor Darshan.”

Justice Pardiwala went further to observe that the bail order virtually amounted to an acquittal for the accused, signalling a strong disapproval of the High Court’s reasoning.

The Court also sought clear answers from Darshan’s legal team, asking them to provide strong justification for why the apex court should refrain from overturning the High Court’s decision.

The State of Karnataka, represented before the Supreme Court, argued that the High Court’s bail order was unsustainable given the gravity of the charges and the nature of the evidence. The prosecution claims that in June 2024, Darshan allegedly orchestrated the abduction of Renukaswamy from Chitradurga.

The victim was reportedly tortured over three days inside a shed in Bengaluru, eventually succumbing to his injuries. His body was then allegedly disposed of in a drain, as per the police investigation.

The accused in the case include Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, Anu Kumar, Lakshman M, V Vinay, Jagadeesh, Pradoosh S Rao, and Nagaraju R. All had initially been denied bail by the sessions court before successfully approaching the High Court — a decision now reversed by the Supreme Court.

With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the bail granted to all accused stands cancelled, and they are expected to surrender in accordance with legal procedure. The decision underscores the Court’s emphasis on ensuring that in cases involving serious offences like murder and abduction, bail must be granted only after careful judicial scrutiny.

Case Details: The State of Karnataka vs Sri Darshan Etc. Etc. | SLP(Crl) Nos. 516-522/2025