New Delhi: Renowned Kannada film actor Darshan and small-time actress Pavithra Gowda, the main accused in the murder case of Renukaswamy from Chitradurga in Karnataka, have submitted written statements to the Supreme Court, through their advocates, contending why their bail should not be cancelled.

On July 24, the bench of Supreme Court Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan had directed all the counsels to submit written arguments in three pages within a week’s time. The  details of the submissions emerged yesterday.

The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on a petition filed by the Karnataka Police, challenging the bail granted to Darshan and others in the Renukaswamy murder case. The apex court had expressed its strong reservations, about the Karnataka High Court’s decision to grant bail to the actor and other accused in the case.

In his submission, Darshan claimed that, there is no evidence linking him to the crime, while Pavithra Gowda said that, she is a single parent of a daughter studying in Class 10 and also needs to take care of aged parents.

Darshan’s submission stated as follows: “He was arrested in Mysuru in morning, while the First Information Report (FIR) was filed in Bengaluru. The reason for his arrest was not provided in writing until evening, which is a violation of legal procedure. Cancelling Darshan’s bail would be a harsh measure, especially since he has not violated any bail conditions.”

“There is no evidence proving that Darshan ordered the kidnapping of Renukaswamy. There were no call records or message exchanges between him and Accused No. 3. The statements of witnesses Kiran, Mallikarjun, and Narendra Singh lack credibility.”

The third accused is Ravi, the driver of the car that transported Renukaswamy to Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Pavithra Gowda, who is the first accused in the case, claimed she was a victim of sexual harassment by Renukaswamy. On the day of the crime, she had no communication with any of the accused. She argued that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges of kidnapping and murder against her.

She further emphasised that, she has no criminal antecedents and had no role in Renukaswamy’s murder. “The injuries on the victim’s body were not inflicted by me. I was not provided with a written explanation for my arrest by the police. Considering that I am a woman, cancelling my bail would be a harsh step,” her statement read.

Darshan, Pavithra Gowda and 15 others were arrested on June 11, 2024, on charges of kidnapping and hacking Renukaswamy to death.