Bengaluru, July 24: The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on the Karnataka High Court for granting bail to Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa — accused in the kidnap, torture, and murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy — calling it a “perverse exercise of judicial power.”
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan expressed shock at the High Court’s reasoning in its December 2024 order, questioning whether it had effectively amounted to an “order of acquittal.”
“The manner in which the High Court dictated the order… very sorry to say. Does the High Court dictate the same kind of orders in other cases too?” Justice Pardiwala asked, pointing out the court’s unusual observation that “grounds of arrest were not furnished” in a murder case.
“This is, prima facie, a perverse exercise of judicial power,” the Supreme Court remarked. “A trial court judge making such a mistake is acceptable… but a High Court judge?”
This marks the second reprimand of the Karnataka High Court by the Supreme Court in a week over Darshan’s bail. Earlier, the top court had faulted the High Court for “failing to exercise discretion.”
During Thursday’s hearing, the bench also questioned the state government on why this trial was being fast-tracked with daily hearings, while many other accused in different cases remain incarcerated for years awaiting trial. The state informed the court that the trial would conclude within six months.
Darshan and 13 co-accused are charged with abducting and killing Renukaswamy in June 2024 after he allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, a friend of the actor and the primary accused. Renukaswamy’s body was recovered from a stormwater drain on June 9 last year.
Comments
Add new comment