Fan murder case: Darshan appears before court; other accused claim ‘police pressure’ to turn approvers
Bengaluru: Kannada superstar Darshan, his partner Pavithra Gowda and 15 other accused in the Renukaswamy murder case appeared before the Bengaluru local court on Tuesday as per the bail conditions. However, other accused claimed they were being “pressured” by police to turn approvers.
Advocate Sunil, appearing for the other accused, submitted to the court that police were “pressuring” his clients to become approvers.
“The case should be fought on merit by the police, there should not be pressure,” he said.
Judge Jai Shankar stated that the court will have to give consent for the accused to become approvers.
The court further said that if the petition is filed in this regard, it could be taken up. The court adjourned the matter to April 8.
Darshan, Pavithra, and 15 others were arrested on June 11, 2024, on charges of kidnapping and brutally murdering Renukaswamy, a fan from Chitradurga.
Renukaswamy had allegedly sent derogatory and obscene messages to Pavithra, angry over the fact that Darshan maintained a relationship with her despite being married.
Darshan was released from prison on October 30, 2024, after spending 131 days in custody.
Sources close to Darshan revealed that Pavithra competed with Darshan’s wife, Vijayalaxmi, over jewellery and luxury cars.
She allegedly pressured Darshan to make public appearances with her after he had been seen with his wife.
Pavithra and Vijayalaxmi also had public spats via social media posts, which led Darshan’s fans to take sides.
Renukaswamy, who supported Vijayalaxmi, criticised Pavithra, which ultimately led to his brutal death, according to police findings.
The Karnataka Police have challenged the bail granted to Darshan and others in the Supreme Court. The Apex Court on January 24 had issued notice to Darshan, Pavithra and five others in connection with the appeal petition filed by the Karnataka government challenging an order that granted bail in connection with a sensational fan murder case.
The bench, comprising Justice J. B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, issued a notice seeking responses from seven accused in the case, including Darshan and Pavithra. The court has directed them to file a response within four weeks.
While granting bail, the court asked him and other accused in the case to appear before it every month.