The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday set aside a Bengaluru trial court directive that allowed Pradosh Rao, an accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, to turn approver, sending the matter back to the lower court with instructions to issue a fresh determination within one week.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna delivered the verdict while partly granting a petition filed by Kannada actor Darshan, who is accused number two in the homicide investigation. The single-judge bench had earlier reserved its decision after concluding hearings on Darshan’s plea contesting the lower court’s rulings.
Procedural Irregularities Cited
In nullifying the trial court’s August 25 decision that accepted Rao as an approver, alongside an August 20 order requesting an assessment from a probation officer regarding Rao, Justice Nagaprasanna pointed to procedural aberrations in how the matter was handled. The High Court instructed the lower bench to regulate its procedures in strict compliance with the law and issue a revised order on Rao’s plea under Section 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The bench specified that the trial court is not required to conduct new oral hearings on the application. Instead, it must formulate a fresh order within seven days of receiving the certified High Court ruling, incorporating the observations made by the bench.
Case Background and Prior Petitions
Darshan is currently in judicial custody alongside his associate, actress Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others. A total of 17 people have been named as accused in the killing of Renukaswamy, with Rao designated as accused number 14.
Tuesday’s ruling comes after an earlier development on August 13, when the High Court dismissed a separate petition brought by Darshan. In that plea, the actor had challenged a sessions court decision that barred him from submitting formal objections to Rao’s request for pardon and approver status.
