Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Aug 14: The Karnataka high court on Thursday dismissed actor Darshan’s petition challenging a Sessions Court order that refused to allow him to oppose an application by accused No. 14 Pradhoosh Rao seeking pardon and permission to turn approver in the Renukaswamy murder case.
Pradhoosh has sought pardon under Section 306 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), offering to become an approver and give evidence in the case. His move has added a fresh twist to the high-profile case, in which Darshan is accused No. 2. The prosecution alleges that Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga, was abducted and assaulted before he died in June 2024. The Supreme Court’s account of the prosecution case records allegations that the incident was linked to obscene messages allegedly sent by Renukaswamy to accused No. 1 Pavithra Gowda.
Pradhoosh’s application reportedly seeks pardon in return for disclosing what he knows about the alleged crime. The 58th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court in Bengaluru had on August 10 held that co-accused could not oppose the application at this stage. Darshan challenged that order before the High Court.
A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna heard the petition on Thursday. Hearing arguments from designated senior counsel Hashmath Pasha for Darshan and special public prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar, the bench observed that when a court is considering an accused’s application under Section 306 seeking pardon and permission to turn approver, a co-accused has no right to make submissions at that stage.
“An accused seeking pardon and to become an approver under Section 306 of the CrPC does not confer any right on a co-accused to oppose the application at the stage when it is being considered,” the court clarified.
The bench also took note of Prasanna Kumar’s reference to the Yogesh Gowda murder case involving former Karnataka minister and MLA Vinay Kulkarni. The Supreme Court had rejected a challenge to the High Court proceedings in that matter.
The high court clarified that its earlier ruling in the Vinay Kulkarni case concerning grant of pardon to an approver and subsequent proceedings would also apply to the present case, and accordingly dismissed Darshan’s petition.
Designated senior counsel K Divakar appeared for Pradhoosh Rao.