Bengaluru: In a significant development in the sensational Renukaswamy murder case, a Bengaluru trial court on Tuesday allowed Pradosh S. Rao, accused No. 14 in the case, to turn an approver and provide details of the events surrounding the crime.
Pradosh Rao had filed an application seeking permission to become an approver in the case, in which actor Darshan and his partner Pavithra Gowda are among the accused.
Accepting his application, Judge Sujatha Madivalappa Sambhrani passed the order permitting Pradosh Rao to turn approver subject to certain conditions.
Under the conditions, Pradosh Rao will have to remain in judicial custody until the completion of the legal process. The court has also warned that if he violates the conditions or gives false evidence, a case of perjury (the act of telling a lie in a court of law) could be registered against him and he could lose his status as an approver and again be made an accused in the case.
The court has directed Pradosh Rao to disclose all truthful facts within his knowledge concerning the case.
It warned that if he conceals material facts or fails to disclose the truth, he could be withdrawn from the status of an approver and treated as an accused.
A copy of the court order has been sent to Pradosh through the prison authorities.
Pradosh Rao had earlier told the court that he decided to become an approver voluntarily and that he was not acting under the influence, pressure or coercion of anyone.
His statement is now expected to be significant to the investigation and trial, as the court’s permission could result in the disclosure of further details about the events leading up to and following the alleged murder of Renukaswamy.
Pradosh Rao had filed an application before the court through his advocate in the first week of August, stating that he was prepared to reveal all facts related to the case and sought pardon from the court by turning an approver.
The development assumes significance as his revelations will have a bearing on the ongoing trial.
The case relates to the alleged murder of Renukaswamy, whose body was found in Bengaluru in June 2024.
The Renukaswamy murder case has drawn widespread public attention since Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and 16 others, including his partner Pavithra Gowda, were arrested and charge-sheeted for the alleged abduction and murder of the 33-year-old fan from Chitradurga.
According to the prosecution, Renukaswamy was allegedly abducted and brought to Bengaluru in June 2024 over obscene messages he had allegedly sent to Pavithra Gowda. Investigators claim he was brutally assaulted and tortured inside a shed before succumbing to his injuries. His body was later dumped near a stormwater drain on the outskirts of the city.
The Supreme Court had earlier cancelled Darshan’s bail, directing his immediate re-arrest and ordering that no VIP privileges be extended to him in prison. The trial in the sensational case is currently underway before the Bengaluru Sessions Court.
(IANS)
