The Supreme Court has strongly criticized the Karnataka High Court for granting bail to Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and several other suspects in the Renukaswamy murder case. The apex court voiced its concerns during a hearing on a petition filed by the Karnataka government challenging the High Court's decision to grant bail to Darshan.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan expressed their disapproval of the High Court's handling of the case, calling it a "perverse exercise of discretion". Justice Pardiwala questioned whether the High Court's bail order effectively resembled a judgment of acquittal, suggesting a questionable use of judicial discretion. He went on to say that the way in which the High Court dictated the bail order, it seemed the court had handed over a judgment of acquittal in favor of the accused persons.
The Supreme Court bench was particularly troubled by the High Court's reasoning for granting bail, especially the observation that "grounds of arrest were not provided". Justice Pardiwala questioned whether the High Court uses the same language in other murder cases, emphasizing that such a mistake is more understandable from a trial court judge than from a High Court judge. The Supreme Court judges were unhappy with the way the High Court explained its reasons for giving bail. One particular reason that “the grounds of arrest were not provided” seemed especially troubling to the bench.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court also questioned the High Court's dismissal of eyewitness accounts from Kiran and Puneet, who worked as guards. The bench questioned why the High Court deemed them unreliable witnesses. The Supreme Court was informed by the counsel of the state of Karnataka that the trial court will complete the trial in the case within six months.
The Supreme Court also addressed the lawyer for co-accused Pavitra Gowda, stating that the situation arose because of her. The court suggested that if she had not been involved, the primary accused would not have been interested, and consequently, others would not have been involved either.
The case revolves around the murder of Renukaswamy, who was allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and killed. Darshan and other accused individuals are charged with his murder. The Karnataka government sought cancellation of Darshan's bail, arguing the seriousness of the crime and the evidence against him. Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Darshan, argued that the High Court's findings were preliminary and would not bind the trial. He also argued that the investigation was flawed and that the credibility of the eyewitnesses was questionable.
The Supreme Court has reserved its order on the plea filed by the Karnataka government. The court made it clear that it would not repeat the High Court's mistake and emphasized the seriousness of the case, given the charges of murder and conspiracy.
