Charge framing completed in Renukaswamy murder case; trial to begin from November 10

Renukaswamy murder case: The 64th CCH Court in Bengaluru on Sunday completed the charge framing process against 17 accused in the Renukaswamy murder case, including actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, Pavithra Gowda, and Pradosh, and adjourned the hearing to November 10, when the trial date will be officially fixed.

All 17 accused — some currently in judicial custody, including Pavithra Gowda, Darshan, Nagraj, Laxman, and Jagadish, and others out on interim bail like Pradosh — appeared before the court. During the proceedings, the presiding judge read out the detailed charges listed in the charge sheet. Each of the accused denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty.

The courtroom witnessed heavy public attendance. The judge, noticing overcrowding, directed that only lawyers and persons connected to the case remain inside, asking police to clear others. “If you don’t leave, I will let you frame the charges yourselves,” the judge remarked in frustration, before instructing ACP Shivanand Chalawadi to remove at least 20 people from the room. Proceedings resumed after order was restored.

According to the charge sheet, Renukaswamy was allegedly kidnapped from Chitradurga, brought to a shed in Patnagere, RR Nagar, and fatally assaulted with wooden logs. The court noted that Pavithra Gowda allegedly slapped the victim with a slipper, while Darshan is accused of beating him after stripping his pants. The accused are charged with criminal conspiracy, murder, evidence destruction, and unlawful assembly.

The judge read the allegations aloud — including that the accused destroyed photo and video evidence from their phones — and asked each of them for their response. All 17 maintained:

“We are not involved in the murder. The charges against us are false. We are ready to face the trial.”

Following this, the court completed the charge-framing process and stated that the trial schedule will be confirmed on November 10.

In a notable detail, the 14th accused, S. Pradosh, attended the hearing despite being granted a month-long interim bail for his father’s death rituals. November 3 marked his father’s 11th-day ceremony, but Pradosh appeared before the court in compliance with the judge’s order for all accused to be present.

Speaking after the proceedings, defence counsel Narayanaswamy, representing Pavithra Gowda, said,

“The police have filed the charge sheet like writing a book of fiction. The accusations are baseless and cannot be accepted. The charge framing process is now complete, and the trial date will be announced on November 10.”

The Renukaswamy murder case, which has rocked Karnataka, involves charges under IPC sections for murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence. The case will now move into its trial phase, where witness examination is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

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