Karnataka High Court refuses to cancel bail of five accused in Renukaswamy murder case

The Karnataka High Court has refused to cancel the bail granted to five men accused in the murder case of Renukaswamy involving actor Darshan Thoogudeepa [State of Karnataka Vs Dhanraj @ Raju @ Dhanaraju D & Others].

Justice S Rachaiah, by an order dated June 10, dismissed petitions filed by the State seeking the cancellation of bail granted to Puttaswamy @ Pavan K, Raghavendra N, Nandeesh, Dhanraj @ Raju @ Dhanaraju D and V Vinay (respondents/ accused Nos. 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10 in the murder case).

The Court held that the Supreme Court's decision to set aside bail granted to the prime accused in the case, actor Darshan, and some other co-accused could not automatically be applied to all the accused.

"The respondents herein are neither celebrities nor influential persons. Furthermore, they have not violated the bail conditions nor have they misused the liberty granted to them," the Court reasoned.

The Court added that merely being associated with a case in which celebrities are co-accused cannot be a ground to cancel bail.

"It is needless to state that, the cases of either celebrities or the common man must be treated equally to render justice," the Court held.

The case concerns the death of 33-year old Renukaswamy, whose corpse was found near a storm-water drain on June 9, 2024.

The prosecution claims that his murder was orchestrated by actor Darshan Thogudeepa after Renukaswamy sent inappropriate messages to Darshan's close friend, actress Pavitra Gowda.

During investigation, three men (accused Nos. 4, 15 and 17) allegedly appeared before the police and confessed to their involvement. Subsequent investigation led to the filing of a charge sheet against 17 accused persons, including Darshan and Pavitra Gowda.

Following arrests, several of the accused were eventually granted bail including Darshan and Pavitra Gowda. However, the Supreme Court later cancelled the bail granted to the two actors.

The present case before the High Court concerned five others (respondents) accused who had been granted regular bail by a trial court on December 23, 2024.

Aggrieved by that order, the investigating agency had approached the High Court the seeking cancellation of bail.

The State relied upon the order of the Supreme Court's August 2025 order cancelling the bail granted to actor Darshan, actress Pavithra Gowda and some others.

The State contended that the respondents had acted in furtherance of a common intention to brutally murder Renukaswamy and that the post-mortem report disclosed as many as 39 external injuries on the deceased's body.

The prosecution also pointed to eyewitness accounts and contended that the trial court had granted bail without proper application of mind.

Advocate Ranganath Reddy represented the five accused whose bail was sought to be cancelled. He countered that cancellation of bail is a serious matter involving deprivation of personal liberty and cannot be ordered in the absence of justifiable and compelling reasons.

He submitted that the case had attracted public attention because of the involvement of celebrities, but sensationalism alone could not justify cancellation of bail.

It was further contended that the respondents had scrupulously complied with the bail conditions imposed by the trial court. Reddy also argued that the Supreme Court had cancelled the bail granted to Darshan and Pavithra Gowda principally because of their celebrity status and the possibility of witness tampering. These considerations were absent in the case of the present respondents, he maintained.

The Court reiterated the settled principle of bail is the rule and jail is an exception, and emphasised that every bail application must be considered on its own facts, taking into account the gravity of the offence, its nature and its impact on society.

Observing that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the Court said personal liberty cannot be curtailed unless there are compelling reasons.

It proceeded to dismiss the State's bail cancellation plea.

Special Public Prosecutor Prasanna Kumar P appeared for the State. Advocates Ranganath Reddy, K Rama Singh, Gaurav HS and Narayana Swamy G represented the respondents.

[Read Orders]