Renukaswamy murder case: Darshan says he is innocent

Income Tax sleuths grill jailed Kannada superstar in connection with money transactions between accused linked to brutal murder

Bengaluru: Kannada film actor Darshan, who was arrested in the Renukaswamy murder case and is presently lodged in Ballari district prison, has said in his bail petition that he is innocent and has been framed.

The High Court Bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna will hear the matter on Friday. Darshan’s bail petition further said he has been “fixed” in the case.

---

“Barring the major injury on the head, no major injuries were found on the body of Renukaswamy. There is no clarity on his exact time of death. There are contradictions between the statements before the court and the medical reports. There is no evidence to prove that Darshan has committed the crime of murder,” it stated.

The authorities have created evidence against Darshan in the case, the bail petition states. Further, the bail petition states that superstar Darshan has a fan following in Karnataka and other countries.

The details of movable and immovable properties have also been mentioned in the petition. Sources confirmed that arrangements are being made by his wife Vijayalaxmi to bring Darshan to Bengaluru from Ballari by helicopter if the court accepts his bail petition.

On June 9, Renukaswamy was abducted from Chitradurga and brought to Bengaluru, where he was confined in a shed at Pattanagere and brutally assaulted.

Renukaswamy was murdered, and his body was dumped in a drain at Sumanahalli.

In connection with this case, 17 people, including Darshan and his partner Pavithra Gowda, were arrested on June 11 morning.

All the accused are currently in jail and are under judicial custody. After 102 days of arrest, Darshan had, last Saturday, submitted a bail petition through his counsel at the sessions court.

His counsel had also pleaded for an emergency hearing on the matter.

Meanwhile, Darshan was grilled at the Ballari prison by Income Tax sleuths in connection with money transactions between the accused linked to the brutal murder of his fan Renukaswamy.

Darshan is also facing cases in connection with receiving royal treatment at the Central Prison in Bengaluru.

Nine officers attached to the prison department were suspended and three FIRs were slapped on Darshan and others in the case.

Darshan admitted to assaulting Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor allegedly killed by him and his aides for sending obscene messages to his partner Pavithra Gowda, but claimed that he was informed about the victim’s death later, according to his 20-page statement mentioned in the charge sheet filed by the police probing the case.

In the 3,991-page charge sheet submitted to the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (ACMM) court on September 4, Darshan has provided graphic details of how he attacked Renukaswamy who was kidnapped and kept in captivity by his gang.

The charge sheet also revealed that Renukaswamy chatted with Pavithra Gowda by creating a fake ID on Instagram under the name Gowtham. He repeatedly told her that he would send her pictures of his private parts and even claimed that he was better than Darshan, the charge sheet stated.