Ballari prison authorities preparing for actor Darshan’s release in wake of bail order by Karnataka High Court

The actor, who was suffering from back pain, was taken to Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) in Ballari on October 22 for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of his spinal cord. He had moved the High Court seeking bail on medical grounds. On October 30, the court granted him interim bail for six weeks for medical treatment.

Just as the Karnataka High Court, on October 30, granted interim bail to actor Darshan, one of the accused in the murder of Chitradurga-based Renukaswamy, the authorities of Ballari Central Prison, where the accused was lodged, informally began preparations for the actor’s release. However, they were waiting for the official communication from the High Court on the bail, or the hard copy of the bail order to be submitted to them by relatives or the advocate of the accused.

R. Latha, Superintendent of Central Prison in Ballari, told The Hindu that the accused would be released on October 30 if they receive the bail order before the closure of the lock-up at 6.30 p.m.

“Either we should get the bail order through email from the official email ID of the High Court, or its hard copy from the relatives or the advocate of the accused before the closure of lock-up at 6.30 p.m. The accused will immediately be released upon receipt of the order. If the order is received after 6.30 p.m., the accused will be released on October 31,” Ms. Latha said.

She clarified that the Deepavali holidays would not come in the way of releasing an accused.

“If the court order is for immediate release, we will have to release him. Since the accused is an under-trial, the holidays will not come in the way of his release. We cannot release any accused during the night after the closure of the lock-up. Releasing during day time is not a problem,” Ms. Latha added.

Just as the word on the bail spread, Darshan’s fans began approaching the the jail to catch a glimpse of their hero. The jail authorities have beefed up security.

“At present, we have enough security staff outside the jail. Once we get the bail order, we will get to know the bail terms. We will deploy adequate security personnel to provide a safe passage to the accused during his travel in the district,” Ballari Superintendent of Police Shobha Rani told The Hindu.