Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on Friday, five months after he was arrested in the sensational Renukaswamy murder case. Darshan's partner, Pavithra Gowda, was also granted bail, along with seven others.
This comes a month after Darshan had sought interim bail for undergoing spine surgery. On October 30, the actor was granted a six-week interim bail on medical grounds.
Darshan is the primary accused in the Renukaswamy murder case. He was arrested on June 11 after Renukaswamy's dead body was recovered from a drain in Bengaluru.
The actor was earlier lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Jail in Bengaluru, but when a photo went viral showing him relaxing with jail inmates, he was transferred to Bellary Central Jail.
It all began when Renukaswamy, who claimed to be a fan of Pavithra Gowda, allegedly sent lewd messages to the actress, which enraged Darshan, who was Gowda's live-in partner. Renukaswamy's mangled body was found in a drain in Bengaluru on June 8.
Darshan confessed to the cops of torturing Renukaswamy before he died. According to the 3,991-page chargesheet, Darshan told the cops that he hit Renukaswamy with a tree branch and also kicked him on his head, chest and near his neck. He also admitted that he asked a bunch of his own fans to kidnap Renukaswamy and "teach him a lesson".
During one of his bail hearings, Darshan had said in court that Renukaswamy was a "menace to society". He (Renukaswamy) had no respect for women, indulged in sending pornographic content, nude photos to several women, thus outraging their modesty," the actor's lawyer said in court.
The advocate also stated that Darshan was portrayed in a negative light ever since his name has been associated with Renukaswamy's murder.
