After 102 days of arrest, Kannada superstar Darshan has submitted a bail petition in the Renukaswamy murder case at the sessions court on Saturday, September 21. Following this, his counsel pleaded for an emergency hearing of the matter.

However, the court issued a notice to the Special Public Prosecutor and adjourned the matter for hearing on September 23. Earlier, Darshan’s partner Pavithra Gowda, the prime accused in the brutal murder case, had submitted a bail petition in the Karnataka High Court but later withdrew it.

Darshan’s counsel is submitting his bail plea for the first time since his arrest. It was expected that they would file a bail plea immediately after the submission of the chargesheet. However, the move came two weeks after the submission of the chargesheet on September 4.

The bail petitions of Pavithra Gowda and other accused persons were rejected by the lower court earlier. Pavithra and 15 accused persons imprisoned in different jails of the state in the case are also preparing to submit their bail petitions.

The Karnataka High Court had also issued a gag order on September 10 restricting media outlets from airing, printing, or broadcasting details of the chargesheet filed against Darshan. The court also directed the Union government to ensure that media houses comply with the order. The order was passed in response to a plea filed by Darshan, who sought a directive to prevent the dissemination of ‘confidential’ information from the chargesheet and other related materials, as the case is still under adjudication.

Darshan was arrested on June 11 in connection with the murder of Renukaswamy, a pharmacist. Renukaswamy allegedly sent inappropriate messages to Darshan's long-time partner, Pavithra Gowda. Darshan, Pavithra, and 15 others are accused of torturing and killing Renukaswamy on June 9 in a shed used for parking seized vehicles in Bengaluru. They later dumped the body near a stormwater drain. Pavithra has been named as prime accused, while Darshan has been named as second accused. 

Darshan was shifted to Ballari prison on August 29 after photos of him receiving special benefits in Parappana Agrahara jail went viral.

With IANS inputs