Bengaluru, August 14, 2025 – Following the Supreme Court’s decision to cancel the bail granted to Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, Pavithra Gowda, and other accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, Bengaluru police took both Darshan and Pavithra into custody on August 14, 2025. Pavithra Gowda was arrested by Annapoorneshwari Nagar police in the afternoon, while Darshan was apprehended near an apartment in Hosakerehalli, Bengaluru. Arrangements are being made to bring Darshan to the Annapoorneshwari Nagar Police Station.

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, overturned the Karnataka High Court’s bail order of December 13, 2024, criticizing it as riddled with “serious infirmities” and resembling a pre-trial acquittal. The court emphasized that “all are equal before the law” and cancelled the bail due to the potential risk of the accused influencing witnesses and derailing justice. The bench ordered immediate arrests and directed the trial to proceed expeditiously.

The Renukaswamy murder case came to light on June 9, 2024, when the body of 33-year-old Renukaswamy from Chitradurga was found near a stormwater drain in Sumanahalli, Bengaluru. Police allege that Renukaswamy was abducted, tortured, and killed for sending obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, a close associate of Darshan. In September 2024, Bengaluru police filed a 3,991-page chargesheet, naming Pavithra Gowda as accused number one and Darshan as accused number two, along with 15 others. The investigation revealed that the victim was held in a shed for three days before his death.