Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday, four months after he was arrested in the sensational Renukaswamy murder case. The actor was granted six weeks interim bail on medical grounds.
Darshan had sought interim bail to undergo a spine surgery and after examining the actor's medical reports, the court granted him the relief.
Darshan is the primary accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.
On October 21, Darshan was taken to the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bellary, Karnataka, after complaining of back pain, and it was then that doctors advised him to undergo a spine surgery. Despite heavy security, the actor was mobbed by his fans as he stepped out of the police vehicle outside the hospital.
Earlier, a trial court had denied bail to Darshan stating that he might tamper with the evidence and witnesses. The statement was made about the allegation that Darshan had paid money to destroy the evidence in the murder of Renukaswamy.
Darshan earlier confessed to torturing Renukaswamy. 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".
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.
While Darshan has now been granted bail, Gowda continues to remain in jail.
