‘Where is the high court’s judicial application of mind’, asked the Supreme
Court rhetorically on 14 th August, 2025 while cancelling the bail of the
infamous Kannada actor Hemanth Kumar, better known by his stage name
Darshan Thoogudeepa. In the gruesome murder case of Renukaswamy, the
Supreme Court cancelled the bail of Darshan Thoogudeepa, his girlfriend
Pavithra Gowda and the five other accused persons namely Lakshman, Nagaraj,
Pradosh, Anu Kumar and Jagadish.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan condemned and quashed
the order of the Karnataka High Court quoting ‘it is evident that the order of the
High Court suffers from serious legal infirmities’. The Apex court called for
immediate arrest of the actor.
TIMELINE OF THE CASE:
On 9 th June, 2024, the dead body of Renukaswamy was found near a storm
water drain in Sumanahalli & on the day following the police uncovered the
involvement of Actor Darshan and Pavitra Gowda in the murder after 4 people
surrendered themselves to the police for having committed the murder .Both
Darshan and Pavitra were arrested following this.
On 4 th August 2024, a video of Darshan, smoking and having coffee with other
inmates in the jail and making a video call surfaced. In September 2024, the
Bengaluru police filed a charge sheet against Darshan, Pavitra and others.
On 30 th October 2024, the Karnataka High Court granted Darshan an interim
bail of six weeks for curing his purported medical ailment i.e backache & on
13 th December 2024, bail was again granted to Darshan, Pavitra and the other
accused persons.
The Bengaluru Police challenged the said bail in the Supreme Court on 8 th
January, 2025 and in May 2025, the Sessions court even allowed Darshan to
travel abroad for a ‘film-shoot’.
14 th August 2025 was the D-day when things changed for good. These arbitrary
activities exempting the Actor Darshan from his legal accountability were
caught and abashed by the apex court. The Bench, reiterated the essence of
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution that how no person is above the law and
regardless of social standing, privileges, power, popularity and other
distinguishing factors, everyone in a democracy is equally subject to the law.
Although the High Court granted bail on medical grounds, the actor was time
and again noticed making appearances in a fine and healthy condition to many
social events. Such behaviour endorses how power, privileges and wealth are
abused by people possessing the same for unlawful benefits.
The court further cautioned the State, issuing a warning to the officials against
providing any 5-STAR treatment to the arrested actor while he is in judicial
custody, ascertaining that if such preferential / privileged treatment is meted out
by them, it would result in the suspension of the superintendent of the jail and
the other officials involved.
This judgment of the Supreme Court restores the faith that the citizens have in
the Judiciary. It also shows how the Supreme Court stands true to its role as the
guardian of the constitution.
