Sandalwood actor Darshan and his girlfriend Gowda are the prime accused in the murder of pharmacist Renukaswamy.His wife is also reportedly involved in the murder. This sensational murder case has caught the attention of the whole country, not only because of the people involved but also because of Darshan’s relationship with his wife and girlfriend.
a gruesome murder
Renukaswami was tortured, given electric shocks and brutally beaten.
Darshan did not like the obscene messages being sent by the pharmacist to his girlfriend. After Renukaswamy’s death, when her body was dumped, the actor performed a puja at his wife’s house and her slippers were also found there.
‘Didn’t you intend to kill?’
Apart from the media debate on the murder, the legal fraternity is of the view that whether there was intent to kill or not, the case falls under the sixth exception to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
“Whether there was intent to kill or not, this case falls under the sixth exception to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. There is clearly an element of aggression. This is not an offence for which bail can be denied,” says a senior lawyer.
“When the accused seeks bail, his statement is the most important. There will be no statement from the prosecution as the investigating officer will still be collecting evidence. We cannot comment on when he will get bail as the case is sub-judice. Since the sections punishable with life imprisonment or death penalty have been invoked against the accused, it is difficult to get bail till the chargesheet is filed as the accused is influential and there is a possibility of tampering with evidence. It also matters whether the accused is involved in the crime or conspiracy or both. In the Renukaswamy murder case, a prima facie case is made out against the accused and it will be difficult to get bail,” said another lawyer.
Darshan attacked his wife
First, let’s revisit September 9, 2011. On this day, Darshan was arrested by the Vijayanagar police for allegedly assaulting his wife Vijayalakshmi. He was charged with attempted murder and domestic violence, sent to judicial custody and later released on bail.
‘When They Met’
Pavithra Gowda, who describes herself as a “fashion designer, model, artist and managing director of the boutique”, became famous in Sandalwood due to her close association with Darshan.
According to an industry insider, when Darshan’s family issues became public and his feud with his wife Vijayalakshmi escalated, Pavitra stepped in to offer emotional support, which eventually resulted in a close bond between them.
Role played by Pavitra
Allegedly, Pavitra informed her associate Pawan K about the messages and asked him to identify the sender. Pawan found that the messages were from Renukaswamy in Chitradurga. Following Darshan’s orders, Pawan, who worked for Pavitra, passed on the information to him. According to Pawan’s confession, Darshan instructed his men to kidnap Renukaswamy and bring her to Bengaluru.
Vijayalakshmi can be a witness
There has been a new twist in the Renukaswamy murder case after actor Darshan’s shoes were found in his wife Vijayalakshmi’s flat. InvestigationDarshan was allegedly wearing these shoes during the fatal beating on June 8.
After disposing of Renukaswami’s body on the morning of June 9, Darshan went to Vijayalakshmi’s Hoskerehalli flat and then went to Mysore, where he was arrested on June 11, a senior police officer said.
Vijayalakshmi was questioned for about five hours at the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station about her knowledge of the abduction and murder, the arrival of Darshan and the presence of his shoes. She gave all the required answers and her statement was recorded.
Darshan’s costume assistant Raju gave some of Darshan’s clothes, shoes and other items to Vijayalakshmi after the incident. Vijayalakshmi can be considered a witness rather than an accomplice in hiding evidence.
can of worms
Actor and filmmaker Upendra told X, “The investigation that has been going on for the last few days is not only being monitored, but… Karnataka But all over India. Fair judgement and justice is awaited in the trial of this high-profile case. The woman who lost her husband (Renukaswamy) should get justice. In any case, the video footage of the trial and all the details of the witnesses should be shared by the police with the families of the persons concerned from time to time. This should become a law.”
Actor and producer Gowrishankar posted on Instagram, “Whatever the reason, if there is so much cruelty to beat and kill a person, how low their mentality must be.”
Actor-turned-politician BC Patil said, “Banning darshan is not the solution. What is most important now is a fair probe into the murder and providing justice to the deceased’s family.”
Director Ram Gopal Varma tweeted: “A filmmaker should start shooting only after the script is finalised, but many times producers keep writing during the shooting, but in the case of Darshan’s murder, the script started being written after the release of the film.”
He said, “A star using one of his die-hard fans to get another die-hard fan killed who was interfering in his private life is an apt illustration of the oddities of the star worship syndrome… The desire of fans to dictate how their stars should live their lives is an inevitable side effect of the same syndrome.”
Bloody details
The police recovered the device used to give electric shocks to S Renukaswamy from Dhanraj alias Raju. Dhanraj was evading arrest since June 10, when four men falsely claimed that they had killed Renukaswamy and surrendered. With the help of his family and friends, Dhanraj surrendered at Rajarajeshwarinagar on Sunday.
The device seized from him has been identified as a Megger, a device used to test insulation resistance. According to a senior police officer, Dhanraj was called by the attackers to bring this device during the attack on Renukaswamy.
Renukaswamy was brutally beaten for four hours at a vehicle parking yard in Pattanagere near RR Nagar on Saturday afternoon. The post-mortem revealed multiple injuries, including heavy bleeding in the abdomen, head injuries and injuries to various body parts. A mini truck (Ashok Leyland Dost) seized from the yard was linked to the attack, and items such as wooden logs, a belt and blood-stained rope were found at the scene.
As part of the investigation, these items have been sent to the forensic laboratory for analysis.
