Supreme Court Orders Fast-Track Trial In Darshan Renukaswamy Murder Case

Bengaluru: Leading Kannada film actor Darshan, who is accused in the murder case of Renukaswamy, who digitally harassed Darshan's girlfriend Pavitra Gowda, has to wait for one more year in jail before he can revive his bail plea again.

On Friday, the Supreme Court directed the Karnataka government to ensure that 60 key prosecution witnesses are examined within the next 12 months in the Renuka swamy murder case, while asking the sessions court to conduct proceedings on a day-to-day basis to expedite the trial.

The SC Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Vijay Bishnoi passed the order on a petition filed by the accused seeking enforcement of prison entitlements and basic facilities available to undertrial prisoners under the jail manual. His earlier interim bail, along with that of certain co-accused persons, had already been cancelled. The Court observed that Darshan would be at liberty to renew his bail plea if there was no substantial progress in the trial within one year.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Darshan, submitted that despite seven months having elapsed since the cancellation of bail, the prosecution had examined only 10 out of the 272 witnesses cited in the charge sheet. He argued that the pace of the trial was excessively slow and further contended that Darshan was being housed in a segregated prison enclosure previously used as a quarantine facility, thereby restricting his interaction with other inmates. On this basis, he sought liberty to renew Darshan’s bail plea in the event of continued delay in the trial

Representing the State of Karnataka, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra submitted that all facilities admissible to an undertrial prisoner had been extended to Darshan. The State denied allegations of isolation and clarified that the enclosure had earlier functioned as a quarantine facility during the pandemic. It further informed the Court that only 60 witnesses would be examined on a priority basis as they were material witnesses necessary to establish the charges against the accused.

Expressing concern over the pace of proceedings, the Bench observed that the trial had made little progress since charges were framed on November 3, 2025. It noted that while the defence was entitled to conduct cross-examination, repeated and prolonged adjournments could not be permitted to delay adjudication in a serious criminal prosecution.

Observing that even the examination of 60 witnesses would consume an inordinate amount of time at the present pace, the Bench directed the trial court to ensure continuous recording of evidence and avoid adjournments on frivolous grounds. The Apex Court further observed that proceedings could be conducted on a day-to-day basis, if necessary, to ensure effective progress in the sessions trial.

The top court of the country also took note of the fact that the presiding officer conducting the trial was holding an additional charge owing to a vacancy in the regular court. In this regard, the Bench requested the Karnataka High Court to examine the issue administratively at the earliest so that the trial is not adversely affected by judicial vacancies or additional charge arrangements.

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Renukaswamy, who worked in a pharmaceutical shop in Chitradurga was sending lewd and nude messages to Pavitra Gowda, despite her repeatedly blocking him. It is alleged that he was habitual in sending such messages to many women he came across online.

When Pavitra Gowda brought it to the notice of Darshan, he asked his associates to get him to Bengaluru. He was locked in a private dump yard and was beaten up by a group of Darshan's associates. Darshan and Pavitra also visited the spot and beat him. However, he died on the night of June 7, 2024.

Both Darshan and Pavitra were accused in the case and were sent to judicial custody. On October 30, 2024, the two were granted bail by Karnataka High Court, which was cancelled by the Supreme Court in August 2025. Since then, all the accused in the case are in jail.