The Renukaswamy murder case of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa is set for another major development, with co-accused Pradosh S Rao set for another development on September 28, when he will appear before the court to record his statement as an approver.
Pradosh, who was accused number 14 in the case, has been granted pardon and will now be a prosecution witness after accepting to reveal all about his statement in the case.
The case comes after a series of legal proceedings. The 59th City Civil and Sessions Court (CCH-59) in Bengaluru granted him pardon after his application and prosecutors’ approval. The court had ordered the trial court to reconsider the matter after the previous order on the basis of a challenge to the court’s original order. Pradosh is still an approver under the applicable criminal procedure and so he can continue to be.
Pradosh’s testimony has attracted a lot of attention because his application allegedly offered a full and truthful disclosure about the alleged murder, disposal of evidence and the alleged roles of the other accused. His testimony could help the prosecution in piecing together what happened to Renukaswamy’s body at the moment he was kidnapped, assaulted and disposed of, and the evidence that was discovered. But his testimony will be evaluated by the trial court at trial.
Pradosh's evidence could be of great importance to the case, the prosecution has stated. Hundreds of people are on the charge sheet, although only a few are called eyewitnesses, reports say. The prosecution has claimed that the evidence of an approver could help the court to establish the nature of the crime. Pradosh would be under pardon duty to give full and complete information and if he was found to have hidden or given false information, the legal consequences would be losing the benefit of the pardon and returning to being accused.
Darshan’s legal team has been in a constant fight against the attempt to make Pradosh an approver. Senior advocate Hashmath Pasha, who was representing Darshan, had raised objections to the procedure and wondered about the circumstances behind Pradosh's application. The defence also appealed against the approver decision before the High Court. More recently, the Karnataka High Court confirmed the trial court decision with a ruling that Darshan would be able to cross-examine Pradosh during the trial.
The high court’s ruling means that Pradosh is still an approver. The court also said the accused would have the opportunity to question his evidence on cross-examination. This is an important safeguard because an approver’s statement is not an absolute proof of every accusation; its credibility and evidentiary value are matters for the court to judge in accordance with law.
With September 28 set for Pradosh's appearance and statement, attention will be on what information he gives before the court and how the prosecution and defence respond to it. His testimony will surely be important to the trial, but how much the case will be affected by it will depend on the content of his evidence, corroboration from other material on record and the court’s verdict.
The Renukaswamy case relates to the alleged killing of 33-year-old Renukaswamy in June 2024. Darshan and others were arrested in connection with that incident. Since then there have been several bail and procedural hurdles and Pradosh’s transformation from an accused to a prosecution witness has been one of the most closely followed aspects of the trial.
As the hearing of September 28 nears, Pradosh's court-recorded testimony and what follows will be the focus. The statement is said to be part of the evidence in the trial and the defence will have the opportunity to challenge his story in court.
