Two accused in the murder case of Renukaswamy from Chitradurga, in which Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa is an accused, have approached a Bengaluru court seeking tender of pardon, saying they are willing to turn approvers in the case.

Accused No. 14, Pradosh, known to be Darshan’s close confidant, is the first to have filed a formal application, which was considered and argued on Thursday (August 6).

P. Prasanna Kumar, special public prosecutor, told The Hindu that Pradosh had filed an 11-page detailed application. The court has reserved its decision on whether the application should be allowed until Monday (August 10).

“We submitted that he may be allowed to turn approver, citing that two people, including the deceased’s mother, had turned hostile on certain important aspects of the case,” he said.

In addition to Pradosh, Vinay, Accused No. 10, has also approached the court by filing a formal application seeking pardon. However, his application is yet to come up before the judge.

Darshan, along with several of his associates, has been accused of kidnapping 33-year-old Renukaswamy from Chitradurga, bringing him to a Pattanagere plot, and torturing him to death before his body was carried and dumped near a stormwater drain in Kamakshipalaya on June 8, 2024.

Pradosh’s role in the case began with the alleged conspiracy, and he is said to have been a witness to the crime until the very end. He was also allegedly involved in handing over money to two individuals who initially went to the police to surrender in the case.

Published - August 07, 2026 11:10 pm IST