Renukaswamy 'menace to society', actor Darshan tells High Court

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa argues murder victim was a menace to society in court, seeking bail.

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who is an accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, argued before the Karnataka High Court that the deceased was a “menace to society.”

Senior Advocate C.V. Nagesh, representing Mr. Darshan, made the statement during a hearing seeking bail for the jailed actor on Tuesday (November 26, 2024).

According to Mr. Nagesh, Renukaswamy had a history of sharing obscene images of women and had no regard for societal norms or respect for women. Mr. Nagesh stated that his behaviour was reprehensible.

“A man with no respect for women, a lawless individual, has now been portrayed as a national hero, while my client, who is a hero in reel life, is being vilified as a villain,” Mr. Nagesh said.

The lawyer also highlighted alleged procedural lapses in the investigation, including delays in conducting an inquest and a postmortem examination of the body, which was discovered by a security guard on June 9.

Furthermore, Mr. Nagesh refuted claims that Renukaswamy had been abducted on Mr. Darshan’s orders, asserting that the victim had voluntarily travelled from Chitradurga to Bengaluru.

Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty is set to hear further arguments on Mr. Darshan’s regular bail plea on November 28.