Actor Darshan, accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, told the Supreme Court that he is being denied basic amenities in prison after the Court’s earlier observation against “five-star treatment” in jail.
Supreme Court Issues Notice On Darshan’s Writ Petition
The Supreme Court on May 4 issued notice in a writ petition filed by actor Darshan.
Darshan is an accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.
He has alleged that prison authorities are denying him basic amenities available to an undertrial prisoner.
He has also claimed that the trial is not moving forward.
The case is titled Darshan v. The State of Karnataka, W.P.(Crl.) No. 159/2026.
Earlier Bail Cancellation In Renukaswamy Murder Case
Last year, a Bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan cancelled the bail granted to Darshan and other accused.
The other accused included Pavitra Gowda, Nagaraju R., Anu Kumar @ Anu, Lakshman M., Jagadeesh @ Jagga, and Pradoosh S. Rao @ Pradoosh.
The prosecution alleged that the accused abducted the deceased from Chitradurga.
It further alleged that they tortured him for three days in a shed in Bengaluru in June 2024.
The deceased later succumbed to his injuries.
According to the police report, the accused threw the body in a drain.
Karnataka Challenged High Court Bail Order
The State of Karnataka challenged the bail granted by the Karnataka High Court.
The State alleged that Darshan tried to influence witnesses.
It also questioned his conduct after the High Court granted him bail.
The State further argued that the High Court wrongly treated Darshan’s celebrity status as a mitigating factor.
The Supreme Court accepted these submissions and cancelled the bail.
It also made serious observations against any special treatment to the actor.
The Court warned jail authorities not to extend special facilities to Darshan because of his celebrity status.
Darshan Says Basic Amenities Denied In Prison
During the present hearing, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for Darshan.
He submitted that prison authorities are denying Darshan basic facilities.
According to Rohatgi, authorities are relying on the Supreme Court’s earlier observation against “five-star treatment”.
Rohatgi said Darshan does not seek any special treatment.
However, he argued that the earlier warning cannot justify denial of ordinary prison amenities.
He submitted that authorities are denying Darshan even the facilities available to regular prisoners.
Rohatgi also told the Court that the trial has made little progress.
He said the prosecution has examined only 10 witnesses out of 262.
He added that Darshan has spent one year in jail after the Supreme Court’s order.
Claim Of Quarantine Cell Without Light
Rohatgi further submitted that authorities have kept Darshan in a quarantine cell.
He said the cell has no light.
He also claimed that Darshan is not getting proper food.
According to the submission, authorities are not allowing him to purchase food otherwise available to prisoners.
Rohatgi said Darshan has to approach the Court repeatedly for basic facilities.
He submitted that jail authorities cite the Supreme Court’s earlier order as the reason.
Court Calls For Trial Status Report
After hearing the submissions, the Supreme Court issued notice.
The Court directed its Registry to call for a report from the 56th Additional CT Civil and Sessions Judge, Bengaluru.
The report must cover the status of Sessions Case No. 1391.
The Court said it wants to know how many witnesses the prosecution has examined.
It also asked how many witnesses the State still proposes to examine.
The Bench further sought a fair estimate of the time required to conclude the trial.
State Asked About Basic Amenities
The Supreme Court also sought the State’s response on Darshan’s prison amenities.
The Court asked whether Darshan is receiving the basic facilities available to an undertrial prisoner.
It directed the Registry to ensure that the required reports reach the Court within one week.
