BENGALURU: A Bengaluru court has rejected a plea by actor Darshan and three other accused seeking permission to be physically present at every hearing in the Renukaswamy murder case. The accused can instead attend proceedings through video conference observed the court.On 13th August,the Karnataka high court dismissed a petition filed by Darshan challenging a sessions court order that had refused to allow him to raise objections to a plea by co-accused Pradosh Rao, who is seeking pardon and permission to turn approver in the case.Darshan, the second accused in the case, had approached the High Court seeking to quash the August 10 order of the 58th Additional City Civil and Sessions Court in Bengaluru.Rao is the 14th accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.Justice M Nagaprasanna dismissed Darshan’s petition after hearing senior advocate Hasmath Pasha, who appeared for the actor, and Special Public Prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar.The High Court held that a co-accused does not have the right to make submissions when a court is considering another accused’s application under Section 306 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, seeking pardon and permission to become an approver.The court also noted the prosecution’s argument that the High Court had previously considered the rights of a co-accused under Section 306 of the CrPC. It further referred to a Supreme Court decision dismissing a petition challenging an order in the Yogeshgouda murder case involving legislator Vinay Kulkarni.The High Court said the ruling and subsequent proceedings in the Yogeshgouda murder case concerning the grant of pardon to an approver would also apply to the Renukaswamy murder case.Darshan and his friend, actor Pavithra Gowda, are among the 17 accused in the case. Darshan is currently in judicial custody.
