Renukaswamy Murder Case: SC Seeks Status Report On Trial Against Kannada Actor Darshan, Others
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Darshan, noted that since Supreme Court revoked bail on August 14, 2025, the petitioner has spent one year in jail.
By Sumit Saxena
Published : May 4, 2026 at 12:20 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Bengaluru court conducting the trial of Kannada actor Darshan and others in the Renukaswamy murder case to submit a status report detailing the progress of proceedings, including the number of witnesses examined, those yet to be heard, and the estimated time required for completion.
The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi. The bench issued notice on a writ petition filed by Darshan seeking bail in the case. During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Darshan, submitted that since the Supreme Court cancelled the bail on August 14, 2025, the petitioner has cumulatively spent one year in jail.
It was argued before the bench that he was denied the basic amenities otherwise provided to an undertrial prisoner. Rohatgi said his client was put in a quarantine cell because of the Supreme Court order and pressed, “I am not able to get even basic amenities.”
After hearing submissions, the bench issued notice to the Karnataka government. The bench also directed its registry to call for a report from the Bengaluru court regarding the status of the sessions case.
"We would like to know how many witnesses have been examined and how many remained to be examined. We would also like to know how much time it would take to complete the trial, and whether the basic amenities which is provided to an undertrial prisoner is made available to him or not," the bench said. The bench sought the report in one week and scheduled the matter for further hearing thereafter.
Darshan’s plea contended that since the judgment passed by the apex court in August 2025, almost eight months have elapsed, during which the petitioner has been in judicial custody and has undergone custody for a total period of almost one year to date.
The plea stated that it is a fact that there are 262 witnesses, of whom only 10 have been examined. The plea said it is obvious that the trial would take a very long time to complete and the petitioner would be subjected to a long incarceration thus depriving his personal liberty, dignity and equality, and his fundamental rights under Article 14 and Article 21.
The plea said since the bail was cancelled by the apex court, lower courts will not entertain his bail application, which prompted him to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of this court by filing the instant writ petition.
The plea further contended that since the trial is likely to be prolonged, his incarceration pending the entire trial would irreparably harm his livelihood and his right to carry on his trade and profession. His plea also claimed that after his bail was canceled, jail authorities subjected him to harsh and inhuman treatment. Darshan was first arrested on June 11, 2024 in connection with the murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga.
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