Karnataka High Court grants bail to man who surrendered to police to protect the actual accused in Darshan case  

The High Court of Karnataka has granted bail to a 27-year-old man who had surrendered to the police, in place of the actual accused, by accepting ₹5 lakh as consideration for owning up the offence in the Renukaswamy murder case; film actor Darshan is a main accused in the case.

The High Court of Karnataka has granted bail to a 27-year-old man who had surrendered to the police, in place of the actual accused, by accepting ₹5 lakh as consideration for owning up the offence in the Renukaswamy murder case; film actor Darshan is a main accused in the case.

Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty passed the order while allowing the petition filed by Keshavamurthy, a resident of Girinagar in Bengaluru, who has been arraigned as accused no. 16 in the charge sheet.

This is the first instance of bail granted to any of the accused in the actor’s case by the High Court since registration of crime on June 9, 2024.

The court noted that the petitioner was accused of committing the offences only under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 143, 147 and 149 (a member of unlawful assembly) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information, to screen offender).

It has been alleged in the charge sheet that the petitioner, who was having some financial issue, was offered ₹5 lakh by another accused in the case and was asked to surrender to the police along with three other accused persons to protect the actual accused.

The court directed the petitioner to appear regularly on all the dates of hearing before the trial court unless the trial court exempts his appearance for valid reasons; not to directly or indirectly threaten or tamper with the prosecution witnesses; not involve in similar offences in future, and not leave the jurisdiction of the trial court without permission of that court.