Darshan Fights for Physical Court Appearance

Kannada actor Darshan, who is facing trial in the fan Renukaswamy murder case, on Monday approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the decision of the 59th City Civil and Sessions Court (CCH) not to produce him in person during the trial.

Darshan has filed a writ petition before the High Court seeking directions to the authorities to produce him physically before the trial court while witnesses record their statements.

The petition is likely to come up before the High Court Bench for hearing in the next couple of days.

The trial court had earlier rejected Darshan’s plea seeking his physical presence during the proceedings.

It had cited security concerns, stating that producing him in person would require the deployment of a large number of police personnel and could lead to overcrowding on the court premises.

The court also noted that similar situations had occurred earlier and that such arrangements could affect the administrative functioning of the court.

So far, statements of 23 witnesses have been recorded in the trial.

In his petition, Darshan has contended that he has the right to hear the statements of witnesses and see them while they depose before the court. He has argued that a witness should record his or her statement in the presence of the accused.

Darshan has also cited technical problems with the video-conferencing facilities being used for the proceedings. He claimed that the technical equipment at Bengaluru Central Prison and the court has not been upgraded from time to time, resulting in technical glitches during video-conferencing.

According to the petition, these technical issues have prevented him from properly hearing the statements of witnesses and communicating with his advocates during the proceedings.

Darshan has stated that he has been unable to give necessary instructions to his lawyers or raise objections while witnesses are recording their statements.

The petition further contends that the accused should be able to hear and observe the testimony of witnesses and provide instructions to his advocates when necessary.

Darshan has, therefore, sought directions to the jail authorities to make appropriate arrangements to ensure his physical presence before the trial court while witnesses record their statements.

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, his partner Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others are facing trial for the June 2024 abduction, torture, and murder of 33-year-old fan Renukaswamy.

Renukaswamy, a fan from Chitradurga, was allegedly killed for sending obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda. He was abducted, brought to a shed in Bengaluru, tortured, and his dead body was dumped near a stormwater drain.

The trial court in Bengaluru granted conditional pardon to accused Pradosh after he offered to turn approver to reveal details of the crime and evidence disposal.

Darshan has approached the Karnataka High Court to challenge the trial court's decision allowing Pradosh to become an approver. Pavithra Gowda recently petitioned the Bengaluru court to shift her prison barrack, citing health concerns and allergies.

The Supreme Court previously cancelled Darshan's bail, ordering his re-arrest without VIP privileges as the trial proceeds in Bengaluru.