Bengaluru’s civil and sessions court on Wednesday granted co-accused Pradosh S Rao approver status in the murder case of Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga. The court allowed Rao’s application for pardon in exchange for full disclosure of the conspiracy, evidence disposal, and roles of all co-accused, including actor Darshan and his girlfriend Pavithra Gowda. The court’s decision followed a review of the prosecution’s submission, which highlighted inconsistencies in the victim’s mother’s testimony and the potential unreliability of key witnesses.

The prosecution argued that the mother of the victim provided conflicting answers during cross-examination, and a witness whose statement was recorded by the magistrate did not fully support the case. Special public prosecutor Prasanna P Kumar stated that the evidence of an approver is necessary to secure the ends of justice. Rao, arraigned as accused number 14, had filed an 11-page petition offering to make a full and truthful disclosure. The court questioned Rao on three separate occasions to confirm the voluntariness of his plea and his understanding of the conditions, including remaining in custody throughout the trial and facing re-arraignment as an accused if he provides false evidence or suppresses material facts.

Darshan Thoogudeepa, one of the prime suspects, had earlier challenged the order before the Karnataka high court, which partially allowed the petition and remitted the matter back to the trial court for a fresh order. Darshan’s counsel argued that Rao was accused of using another prisoner’s ID to call his wife, a practice permitted by prison officials. However, Rao, appearing via videoconference, stated he was unaware of the ID used and that prison officials were now preventing him from leaving the barrack. The court’s decision to grant approver status remains in place pending further developments.

The police allege that Renukaswamy was murdered after sending lewd comments to Pavithra Gowda on Instagram. According to the prosecution, Rao arrived at the crime scene later, was directed to check Renukaswamy’s phone, and participated in the assault. Renukaswamy succumbed to his injuries at the scene, after which his body was moved and dumped near a storm-water drain. The post-mortem recorded 39 injuries, including 13 bleeding wounds and 17 fractured ribs. The chargesheet also alleges that Rao was paid Rs 30 lakh to suppress evidence.

The police filed multiple chargesheets in the case, naming Pavithra Gowda as accused No. 1 and Darshan Thoogudeepa as accused No. 2. The other co-accused include Pawan K, Raghavendra, Nandish, Jagadish, Anukumar, Ravi Shankar, Dhanraj D, Vinay V, Nagaraju, Laxman, Deepak, Karthik, Keshavamurthy, and Nikhil Nayak. The case remains under investigation, with key details about the motive and full sequence of events still unclear.