Kannada actor Darshan Toogudeepa, who is in judicial custody in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case, has petitioned the Karnataka High Court seeking a direction to the prison authorities to allow him home-cooked food in the jail. He has also sought cutlery, clothing, bedding, and books.

In his petition, he has also noted that he has lost weight by several kilograms as he is unable to eat and digest the food provided at the prison.

It is also mentioned that the actor suffered from diarrhoea and the prison doctors suspected food poisoning.

According to the petitioner, Section 30 of the Karnataka Prisons Act, 1963, allows undertrial prisoners to receive these materials subject to examination and to such rules as may be approved by IGP (Prisons). The petition is yet to be listed for hearing.

According to police sources, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Darshan’s close friend Pavithra Gowda, a co-accused in the case, which enraged the actor, allegedly leading to his murder.

His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June 9. Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar here, on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that he was allegedly tortured and murdered on June 8.

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries.

Police sources said Pavithra, who is accused number one, was the “major cause” for Renukaswamy’s murder, claiming that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated other accused, conspired with them, and took part in the crime. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

A complaint has been lodged against the aides of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was arrested along with 16 others in connection with Renuka Swamy’s murder, for threatening the eye-witnesses in the case, police said in its remand note presented in a court here on Saturday.

After producing Darshan and three others before the court, the police stated that they were not making the names of the eyewitnesses public citing their safety.

“A complaint has been lodged against the aides of the accused number two (Darshan) for threatening the eye-witnesses of the case at the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station,” the remand note said.

“Actress Pavithra Gowda(A1), Darshan(A2) and other accused involved in the case have been ‘creating obstacles continuously’ in the investigation of the case.” In the court, police charged all the accused with trying to destroy the material evidences.

Regarding Renuka Swamy’s phone, police said, “The court is requested to grant permission to apply for Renuka Swamy’s SIM card from the service provider to ‘re-access’ the data in the mobile phone, which the accused had thrown in the Sumanahalli Stormwater Drain to destroy the data.”

The police also told the court that all the accused contacted each other through web applications and destroyed data. Hence, they sought the permission of the court to get the fresh SIM card of the accused.

Opposing bail to the accused, the police said the actor could destroy the evidences since he is influential, rich and has a large fan base.

Renuka Swamy, a fan of Darshan, was kidnapped from Chitradurga on June 8 and brutally tortured to death allegedly by the 47-year-old actor and his aides for posting lewd comments on the key accused of the case, Pavithra Gowda.

Police have so far arrested 17 people while a hunt is on for a few others involved in the crime.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)