Fan murder case: Actor Darshan complains of poor jail facilities; court summons prison superintendent
Jailed Kannada actor Darshan raised fresh concerns Thursday about substandard conditions at Bengaluru Central Prison, telling a local court that officials ignored earlier orders to improve his facilities. The judge put the case on hold until October 9 and called the prison’s superintendent to appear in person.
Darshan joined the hearing via video link from jail. When the judge brought up his complaint about unmet court directives, Darshan said prison staff hadn’t followed through on any of them. He described his daily walks as limited to a tiny 25-by-3-foot space with no sunlight. His lawyer, Sunil, added that Darshan remains stuck in a quarantine cell and urged the court to move him to a regular one. Sunil also accused authorities of running a “goondaraj”—or reign of thuggery—over these issues.
This comes after a September 9 ruling in Darshan’s high-profile fan murder case. That day, the Bengaluru court ordered prison officials to provide basics like walks around the grounds, a bed, bedsheets, and a pillow, all in line with the prison manual. But the judge denied Darshan’s request to transfer to Ballary prison, saying there were no good reasons for it. The court stressed that prisoners’ rights must be respected, but warned Darshan and others that breaking rules could lead to tough actions from the Inspector General of Prisons—or even a disciplinary transfer.
Darshan’s frustrations boiled over earlier during another video court appearance. With tears in his eyes, he begged the judge for poison, saying he’d endured over a month without sunlight and now had fungus on his hands. “Please order poison just for me, not the others,” he pleaded, claiming he couldn’t go on like this.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court recently stepped in, overturning a Karnataka High Court decision that had granted Darshan bail. Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan slammed the High Court for handling the bail like a full trial verdict on guilt or innocence. They called it a clear misuse of judicial power and vowed not to let such errors slide again, especially from a higher court.
The whole saga ties back to the brutal murder of 33-year-old Renukaswamy, whose body turned up on a Bengaluru flyover on June 9, 2024. Renukaswamy was a big fan of Darshan, but prosecutors say Darshan ordered his kidnapping and killing after Renukaswamy allegedly harassed Darshan’s friend, Pavitra Gowda. Darshan has denied the charges, but the case has gripped Karnataka with its mix of celebrity drama and shocking violence.
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