‘Give me drop of poison, suffering immensely’: Jailed actor Darshan in court

Bengaluru: Jailed Kannada actor Darshan, who is in Bengaluru Central Prison in connection with the fan murder case, has pleaded before the court to be given “a drop of poison”, claiming that he is going through immense hardship in prison.

Darshan said this after he was produced before the trial court via video conference on Tuesday.

When the proceedings began, all the accused were presented to the 57th CCH court through video conferencing. At the end, Darshan raised his hand and claimed that he needed to convey an important matter to the court. “It has been more than a month since I saw sunlight, and my hands are affected by fungus. Hence, please pass an order to give me poison in court,” Darshan stated.

Darshan was in tears while making this request. He specifically asked the judge to provide poison only for him and not for any other accused person. Darshan further claimed that he is unable to continue living under such conditions.

After hearing the plea, the judge advised him not to make such demands in court and said that appropriate orders would be issued to the prison authorities.

The judge added that an order regarding his requests would be passed later in the afternoon.

Darshan also requested a pillow, bedsheets, and home-cooked food. After the judge’s remarks, Darshan nodded in agreement and remained silent. The court reserved its order for later in the afternoon.

The court is also likely to pass an order regarding the shifting of the accused persons, including Darshan, to other prisons in the state.

Darshan, who appeared well-built at the time of arrest, looked weak during the video conference.

Meanwhile, the court has fixed September 19 as the date for the procedure of framing charges in the case. It also stated that the investigation of witnesses will begin soon, as it cannot be delayed. The matter was adjourned to September 19, and the court asked the counsels to submit relevant applications.

Recently, the Supreme Court overturned the Karnataka High Court’s decision of bail to him. A bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan delivered the verdict to revoke Darshan’s bail. During the hearing, the Supreme Court had objected to the High Court’s order, remarking that the HC had passed a decision on bail as if it were deciding conviction or acquittal.

The Supreme Court questioned whether the High Court gives such orders in other cases as well and added that they will not “repeat such a mistake”.

The Supreme Court also said that, in this case, there was a prima facie misuse of judicial power. Such an error by a lower court judge might still be acceptable, but it is not right for a High Court judge to make such a mistake.

On June 9, 2024, Renukaswamy, 33, was found dead on a flyover in Bengaluru.

Renukaswamy was a fan of Darshan. It is alleged that, at Darshan’s behest, he was kidnapped and then murdered.

It is said that Renukaswamy was killed because he had been harassing Darshan’s female friend, Pavitra Gowda.

The incident took place in Pattangere village, Bengaluru. It is alleged that Renukaswamy was beaten to death, and Darshan was informed of his death via WhatsApp.

IANS