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Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
SC cancels Darshan's bail; actor, main accused held
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was arrested in Bengaluru on Thursday, just hours after the Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to him by the Karnataka high court in the Renukaswamy murder case. Police took him into custody near his Hosakerehalli residence soon after he returned to the city from an outstation trip. Police arrest actor Pavitra Gowda from her residence after the Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to her by the High Court in the Renukaswamy murder case, in Bengaluru on Thursday. (ANI) The apex court's order also covered Darshan's associate Pavithra Gowda and five other accused, all of whom were arrested and will be produced before the trial court in Bengaluru, police said. According to police, Gowda was picked up earlier in the day by the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police. Pradoosh S Rao, Lakshman M, and Nagaraj are among those detained. While cancelling the bail to the actor, a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said, 'Granting leniency to such persons despite grave charges of conspiracy and murder sends the wrong message to society and undermines public confidence in the justice system.' In a democracy governed by the rule of law, the bench said, 'no individual is exempt from legal accountability by virtue of status or social capital'. In the present case, it said, 'By treating A2's (Darshan) stature as a mitigating factor, the high court committed a manifest perversity in the exercise of its discretion, thereby warranting cancellation of bail.' Police officers said a copy of the Supreme Court order was submitted to the trial court to secure arrest warrants for all the accused before their remand to judicial custody. The order follows a special leave petition filed by the state government challenging the high court's decision in December 2024 to grant bail to the accused. Darshan, who had been away when news of the court's decision reached him, was contacted by police and asked to appear before investigators. He complied, arriving in a luxury SUV before switching to another vehicle to avoid the media assembled outside his apartment. He entered the premises through the back door. The murder case, began with Darshan's arrest in June 2024. Police allege he orchestrated the killing of Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga, after the victim allegedly stalked and abused Gowda on social media. The actor was detained on June 11, 2024, in Mysuru while filming The Devil and was held in custody for 131 days. He was released on interim bail in October and granted regular bail in December. With the latest court order, Darshan is expected to be shifted to the Ballari Central Prison. He was previously housed there after being moved from the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison when images emerged of him smoking and mingling with high-profile inmates. Following that episode, Ballari prison authorities heightened security measures, including raising the perimeter wall to 25 feet and preparing a secure cell. The measures were taken after fans breached prison boundaries during his earlier detention, police officers said. The Supreme Court's decision comes a day before the scheduled release of the first song from The Devil. The film's team had announced on August 10 that the track 'Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek' (You should live in peace) would be released on Independence Day morning, an event now likely to be overshadowed by the arrest. For Renukaswamy's family, Thursday's ruling was a moment of relief. His father, Shivanagouda, welcomed the decision. 'Darshan's bail has been cancelled. There is an order to arrest him. This brings our faith back…The Supreme Court order reinstates the belief that no one can escape the law,' he said. Chief minister Siddaramaiah's legal advisor AS Ponnanna said the verdict would strengthen the prosecution's case. 'We had feared that the investigation would be hampered because Darshan was out on bail. There was a possibility that he could influence the witnesses while he was out. However, now all these challenges will be resolved with the order given by the Supreme Court,' he said. Soon after the court's order was received on Thursday morning, senior police officials briefed home minister G Parameshwara at the Vidhana Soudha. 'The law is the same for everyone. No one is above the law in the country. Everyone should respect the law of the land. The accused have the opportunity to fight for justice further, and that is also allowed by the law,' Parameshwara said.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Ahead of Alaska summit, Trump says Putin, Zelensky will make peace
Washington, DC [US], August 15 (ANI): Ahead of his Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that Putin is now ready to pursue peace. The summit is scheduled for August 15 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. 'I think President Putin will make peace and President Zelensky will make peace," Trump told reporters. Asked if the US is prepared to offer Putin access to rare minerals as an incentivise to end the war, Trump replied, 'We're going to see what happens with our meeting. We have a big meeting. It's going to be, I think, very important for Russia, and it's going to be very important for us and important for us only that we're going to save a lot of lives." 'But what I'm really doing this for is to save thousands of soldiers a week," he beyond the Alaska talks, Trump outlined plans for a follow-up meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, possibly joined by European leaders. He called that session potentially more important than the first.'We have a meeting with President Putin tomorrow. I think it's gonna be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're gonna have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, me, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along, maybe not," he said. 'We're going to see what happens. And I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace. We'll see if they can get along. And if they can, it'll be great," he added. Referring to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as 'Biden's war," Trump said, 'It would have never happened if I were president. This war would have never occurred under my administration. But now, millions of people have been killed." 'And I'm there for one reason: to see if I can solve. This was Biden's war. This is in my war. I want to see if I can stop the killing," he Trump said he would know 'in the first two minutes" whether a deal can be struck. He also expressed optimism about the possibility of normal trade between the two countries. When asked if he sees a time when there could be normal trade between the US and Russia, Trump said, 'I do. Russia has a very valuable piece of land. If Vladimir Putin would go toward business instead of toward war, you know, it's a warring nation. That's what they do. They fight a lot of wars. A friend of mine said Russia is tough because they just keep on fighting." 'We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made," he added. (ANI)
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Tariffs, Tantrums And Ego: Ex-Diplomat Explains Why Trump Is Fuming At India
New Delhi: Former diplomat Vikas Swarup says punitive U.S. tariffs on India have a political trigger. He claims President Donald Trump is angry that New Delhi has not acknowledged his self-declared role in defusing tensions with Pakistan after May's military flare-up. A former High Commissioner to Canada and noted author, Swarup spoke to ANI about what he sees as the real reasons for the trade pressure. He says US-India ties remain strategic, while Washington's current relationship with Pakistan is a short-term and tactical deal driven by money. Trump's Reasons Swarup lists two main factors. One is India's presence in BRICS, which Trump views as an anti-American grouping. 'We have to understand why these tariffs have been imposed... One, Trump is not happy with India because we are a member of BRICS... he has got this notion that BRICS is an anti-American alliance which is hell-bent on creating an alternative currency to the dollar... he feels that India should not be a member of the BRICS,' he said. The second is India's refusal to give Trump credit for a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor in May. New Delhi has always maintained that the truce was arranged directly between the militaries of both countries at Pakistan's request. Trump has said 'almost 30 times' that he prevented a nuclear disaster in South Asia. 'He is miffed that India has not acknowledged his role; whereas, Pakistan has not only acknowledged his role but has even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize,' Swarup said. Operation Sindoor Context Operation Sindoor was India's answer to the April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. Indian forces struck nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Over 100 terrorists were killed. Pakistani military and civilian areas were avoided. Swarup says the United States is using tariffs as leverage to push its demands on agriculture, dairy and GM crops. 'This is part of his pressure tactics to get India to sign on the dotted line on the maximalist demands that the United States is making... We have not caved in,' he said. Trump and the Nobel Ambition Swarup describes Trump as a dealmaker who sees himself as a peacemaker. 'Look at the number of conflict situations that he has mediated in... He feels that the biggest one of these was the India and Pakistan one because these two are nuclear powers,' he said. Trump wants to match and surpass Barack Obama, the only U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize while in office. 'He has made no secret of his longing for that Nobel Peace Prize. He is hoping that if he could not get it for these, if he is able to bring about a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, then that might be his ticket,' Swarup said. Pakistan's US Access Swarup says India is not responsible for Washington's recent lean toward Islamabad. He credits Pakistani lobbying and strategic messaging. 'Pakistan, through some intermediaries, has gotten the ear of the U.S. president,' he said. He points to two visits by Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir to Washington and a deal over Pakistan's 'oil reserves'. He also highlights Pakistan's push to become a regional crypto hub. In April, a Trump-backed cryptocurrency venture signed a letter of intent with Pakistan's crypto council. 'All these things have led to Trump having a softer approach towards Pakistan,' Swarup said. Short-Term Tilt Swarup calls the U.S.-Pakistan relationship temporary and transactional. He says the U.S.-India partnership is deeper. 'I call it a storm, not a rupture. You just have to wait out the storms. All storms eventually pass,' he said. He warns that U.S. alignment with Pakistan also means closer alignment with China, Washington's key competitor. Tariff Politics Trump has called India a 'Tariff King', but Swarup says the United States now holds that title. 'Our average tariff is about 15.98 percent. The U.S. tariff today is 18.4 percent... tariffs are bringing in money... But the issue is that eventually, who will pay for these tariffs? American consumers,' he said. He warns higher costs will fuel U.S. inflation. He defends India's refusal to give in. 'India is too large, too proud a country to become a camp follower of any other country. Our strategic autonomy has been the bedrock of our foreign policy right from the 1950s,' he says. Indus Waters Tensions Swarup also highlights Pakistan's reaction to India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. He says Islamabad is heavily dependent on those rivers and uses nuclear threats to attract global attention. 'They are deliberately provoking nuclear blackmail,' he tells ANI.
