Bengaluru Court rejects prison authorities’ plea to transfer actor Darshan to Ballari jail

Bengaluru, Sep 9 (PTI) A Bengaluru court has rejected prison authorities’ plea to transfer actor Darshan from Parappana Agrahara Central Prison to Ballari Jail in the Renukaswamy murder case.

The court observed that there were no valid grounds for the transfer but allowed certain concessions within the prison.

Darshan, who is accused in the case, will now be permitted to walk within the prison premises.

Additionally, the court approved his request for basic facilities—an extra bed, pillow, and bedsheet—while stressing that all provisions must strictly comply with the prison manual. It further clarified that if any rules are violated, the Inspector General of Prisons has the authority to take disciplinary measures, including transferring the inmate.

During the hearing, Darshan emotionally appealed, telling the judge that he had not seen the sun for 30 days and that his hands were affected by a fungal infection.

He reportedly went as far as to say, “Please poison me.” The judge reprimanded him for making such statements and warned him not to repeat them.

While the court refused his transfer, it acknowledged his concerns to a limited extent by allowing movement within the jail and granting additional bedding, offering some relief.

Darshan had challenged the jail authorities’ plea before the judge, with his advocates arguing that travelling 300 kilometres would be tiring for both him and the prison authorities during the trial.

Darshan, along with actress Pavithra Gowda and several others, is accused of abducting and torturing 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan who allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra.

The police alleged the victim was held in a shed in Bengaluru for three days in June 2024, tortured, and his body was recovered from a drain. PTI COR GMS SSK KH