Kannada actor Darshan held after Supreme Court cancels bail in Renukaswamy murder case

Kannada actor Darshan was arrested on Thursday after his bail was cancelled by the Supreme Court in the Renukaswamy murder case.

His arrest came shortly after his friend and actress Pavithra Gowda, the prime accused in the case, was taken into police custody.

According to police sources, Darshan was arrested at his wife Vijayalakshmi’s house in Hosakerehalli in Bengaluru.

Sources said the actor wanted to evade arrest and surrender in court, but the police got information about his stay and arrested him.

Earlier in the day, the SC, observing that celebrities were role models having greater accountability, cancelled the bail granted to Darshan and other accused.

Setting aside the high court order of grant of bail, a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted in a democracy governed by the rule of law, no individual was exempted from legal accountability on the basis of “status or social capital”.

“The Constitution of India enshrines equality before law under Article 14, and mandates that no individual however wealthy, influential, or famous can claim exemption from the rigours of law. A celebrity status does not elevate an accused above the law, nor entitle him to preferential treatment in matters like grant of bail,” it said.

The Karnataka High Court on December 13 last year granted bail to the actor and other accused persons in the case.

The top court pointed out “serious infirmities” in the high court’s order, which reflected a “mechanical exercise” at the pre-trial stage.