Bengaluru: A court here on Wednesday extended till September nine the judicial custody of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa along with his friend Pavithra Gowda and others, who are accused in the Renukaswamy murder case. All the 17 accused, including Darshan and Pavithra, were produced before the magistrate court through video conferencing from Bengaluru and Tumakuru prisons, where they are lodged, as their judicial custody ended today.
The extension of judicial custody follows a remand application filed by the Police.
Meanwhile, authorities in Ballari have made necessary arrangements after a decision was made to transfer actor Darshan from Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru to Ballari prison.
Darshan has been in custody at Parappana Agrahara for over two months, facing murder charges related to the death of Renukaswamy.
The decision to transfer Darshan comes in the wake of allegations that he was receiving special treatment at Parappana Agrahara. The controversy erupted after a photo showing the actor drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette, as well as a video clip of him engaging in a video call, went viral. As a result, authorities decided to transfer several accused individuals involved in the case to different prisons, with Darshan being relocated to Ballari Prison.
Ballari Prison, with a capacity of 447 inmates, currently houses 385 prisoners. The facility includes a few individual cells in addition to barracks, and Darshan is expected to be held in one of the cells.
Senior police officials inspected the prison on Wednesday to review the arrangements.
On Wednesday, several of Darshan's fans gathered outside the prison, but they dispersed after learning that the actor was not expected to arrive that day.
On Wednesday Police officials took necessary steps to ensure there was no crowding and unnecessary movement on the road. Authorities are also preparing for the possibility of large crowds gathering when Darshan is eventually transferred.
While there has been no official confirmation of the exact date and time of his arrival, sources indicate that Darshan could be brought to Ballari Prison on Thursday. The journey from Bengaluru to Ballari is about 6 hours.
