Karnataka High Court rejects Darshan’s plea for opportunity of hearing on application of co-accused to turn approver

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while dismissing the petition filed by Darshan.

In a setback to actor Darshan, the High Court of Karnataka on Thursday rejected his plea to direct the sessions court to hear him and other accused on an application filed by one of the accused, seeking pardon by becoming an approver in the Renukaswamy murder case.Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while dismissing the petition filed by Darshan.The actor, in his petition, questioned the August 10 order passed by LVIII Additional City Civil & Sessions Court, Bengaluru, which had rejected his plea to hear him and other accused on the merits of the application filed by Pradosh S. Rao, who is arraigned as accused number 14 in the case, seeking pardon by turning an approver.The sessions court had said that “there is no justification to permit the co-accused to participate in the proceedings or to oppose the application as a matter of right as the law does not confers such right on the co-accused.”Appearing for Darshan, senior advocate Hasmath Pasha contended that the co-accused have the right to say as not giving an opportunity of hearing them before deciding the application for pardon by an accused amounts to violation of principles of natural justice.However, P. Prasanna Kumar, Special Public Prosecutor, opposed the plea while citing earlier judgments of the court on the issue of pardon.After hearing, the High Court, citing its earlier judgment in Vinay Kulkarni’s case, which was upheld by the apex court, has said that the application filed by Pradosh in the Renukaswamy murder case would also be dealt by the sessions court as per the principles of law laid down in Kulkarni’s case.In Kulkarni’s case, the High Court had said that the co-accused would get a right to question procedural illegality in granting pardon, and not the order granting pardon on its merit.The rights of Darshan and other accused in Renukaswamy murder is restricted only to the extent permitted in Kulkarni’s case, the High Court made it clear. Published - August 13, 2026 09:14 pm IST