SC cancels bail granted to actors Darshan, Pavithra Gowda in Renukaswamy murder case
"The order (Karnataka High Court) is set aside, and the bail granted to the accused is set aside," said a two-judge Bench of the top court, headed by Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, on Thursday.
The court, which had earlier reserved the judgment on July 24, pronounced the order on Thursday after hearing an appeal filed by the Karnataka government challenging the Karnataka HC order granting bail to Darshan, Gowda and other accused persons in the Renukaswamy murder case.
While reading out the operative part of the verdict, Justice Pardiwala said, "Justice Mahadevan has pronounced a very erudite judgment. It is ineffable. It conveys a message that, however big the accused may be, he or she is not above the law."
He also stated that it contains a strong message that the justice delivery system at any level should ensure at any cost that the rule of law is maintained. "No man is above law or below it. Nor do we ask anyone's permission when we obey it. the need of the hour is to maintain rule of law at all times," Justice Pardiwala said, while pronouncing the order for the bench.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Constitutional validity does not mean desirability, ex-CJI Khanna tells one nation, one election panel
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has told a parliamentary committee scrutinising the simultaneous election Bill that the constitutional validity of a proposal in no way amounts to a pronouncement upon the desirability or necessity of its provisions. In his written opinion to the committee, Justice Khanna, however, said arguments related to the dilution of the country's federal structure might be raised about the constitutional amendment Bill, as he listed the various claims made supporting and criticising the concept, sources said. Most of the experts, who have shared their views with the committee headed by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary, have rejected the charge that the proposals are unconstitutional but have flagged some issues with the current provisions of the Bill. Justice Khanna, who is scheduled to interact with the committee on Tuesday (August 19, 2025), has joined a few other former CJIs in raising concerns over the extent of power given to the Election Commission (EC) in the Bill. He said the Bill conferred "unfettered discretion" on the EC in deciding that an Assembly poll could not be conducted along with that of the Lok Sabha, and to make a recommendation to the President on these lines, the sources said. "This clause will be open to question as violating and offending the basic structure of the Constitution on the ground of being arbitrary and offending Article 14 of the Constitution," he is learnt to have said. Article 14 deals with equality before law. Indirect President's rule Justice Khanna added, "Postponement of elections by the EC may result in indirect President's rule, in other words, the Union government taking over the reins of the State government. This will be questionable judicially, as violating the federal structure envisaged by the Constitution." Commenting on various arguments related to the Bill, he said the fact that simultaneous elections were held in 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967, was a "coincidence", certainly not an express or not even an implied constitutional mandate. Justice Khanna said there was a difference between "merit review" and "judicial review". When the Supreme Court or High Courts uphold constitutional validity, it was a mere affirmation of the legislative power and that the amendment or the provision was not violative of the constitutional limitations, he said. "The court decisions in no way amount to pronouncement upon the desirability or necessity of such provisions," he added. Before Justice Khanna, former CJIs D.Y. Chandrachud, J.S. Khehar, U.U. Lalit and Ranjan Gogoi have interacted with the committee members on various provisions of what is often referred to as "one nation one election" Bill. The BJP and its allies have supported the Bill, asserting that it will boost growth by cutting down on expenditure caused by the relentless poll cycle, leading to frequent deployment of security and civil officials on poll duty and the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct. The Opposition has argued that it undermines democratic principles and weakens federal structure.
The Hindu
34 minutes ago
- The Hindu
KDA Chairman demands early implementation of SEP
Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Chairman Prof. Purushotham Bilimale has demanded that the State government implement the new proposed State Education Policy (SEP) at the earliest. In a letter written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and concerned education ministers of the state, he said that the SEP Commission had given a 'very comprehensive' education policy, in a first-of-its-kind exercise. 'If the report is implemented properly, the state's education sector will change radically over the next decade,' he said. Further, he stated that several studies have confirmed that the three-language formula forcibly imposes Hindi and does not help improve the cognitive and academic ability of students. 'In this context, the SEP report, which has recommended a two-language policy with Kannada and English for the State, is a very timely step,' Prof. Bilimale said. 'It is important to note that the commission had not ignored non-Kannada and non-English languages while recommending a two-language policy. The report states that Kannada and English languages will remain mandatory as the first or second language, and that interested students will be allowed to learn their mother tongue as a third language,' he explained, adding that this was much needed in 'today's complex linguistic environment'. 'The recommendations of the SEP are mainly based on the Constitution of India, the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022, The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, The Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015 and all aspects of the National Education Policy 1968, 1986, 1992 and 2020, among other policies and laws. This is a constitutionally sound policy and can serve as a model education policy for the country,' he said, demanding its early implementation.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
SC to hear Jharkhand DGP appointment row on Monday
The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday a clutch of petitions challenging the appointment of Anurag Gupta as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Jharkhand. As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria will also take a plea seeking contempt action against Jharkhand Chief Secretary for "wilfully and deliberately disobeying" the guidelines laid down in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case. According to the judgment, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is required to shortlist three eligible IPS officers with clean service records and sufficient residual service from a list submitted by the state. The state government must then appoint one of the shortlisted officers as the DGP, who must be given a minimum tenure of two years. As per the plea, the Jharkhand government has appointed Gupta without following the due process, as his name was not on the UPSC-recommended list. Additionally, it introduced a new rule to appoint Gupta, who was set to retire on April 30, 2025 and granted him an extension until April 2026. "These newly formulated rules are in blatant violation of the mandate laid down by this Hon'ble Court in the Prakash Singh judgment and subsequent orders. The state government has wilfully and deliberately eliminated the requirement for empanelment by the UPSC, a cornerstone of transparency and merit-based appointments, and replaced it with a state-controlled selection committee,' stated the petition filed through advocate Vivya Nagpal. In a letter to the state government, the Union Home Ministry said that Gupta, having turned 60 in April 2025, stands retired under the All India Services (AIS) rules and cannot continue in service. In July 2024, the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government had removed then DGP Ajay Kumar Singh before the completion of his two-year tenure. Ajay Kumar Singh was appointed DGP on February 14, 2023, and was due to serve until February 2025, but was removed prematurely.
