Renukaswamy murder case: Pavithra Gowda released on bail, gets special puja done in name of Darshan

Bengaluru, Dec 17 (IANS) Kannada superstar Darshan's partner and actress Pavithra Gowda, 33, walked out of a Bengaluru jail on Tuesday, after being granted bail in the fan murder case, and went to a temple to perform special prayers for the actor.

Walking out of the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, Gowda, the prime accused in the case, appeared composed.

She then reached the Vajra Muneshwara temple in Talaghattapura with her family and performed an 'archane' (a special puja offered for an individual) in the name of actor Darshan. Dressed in white with 'bhasma' (sacred ash) on her forehead, Gowda bowed down to the Garuda Kamba pillar installed in front of the temple.

During the special puja, in the presence of the media, Gowda gave an eye signal to her mother, Bhagyamma, who then asked the priest to conduct the 'archane' in Darshan's name.

When her mother took Darshan’s name, she closed her eyes and bowed down to the deity. She turned emotional while offering her prayers.

Before offering worship, Gowda performed 'pradakshina' (circumambulation) around the temple, holding incense sticks in her hand.

After the worship, the actors refused to speak to the media. She simply said "thanks" to the media persons and cameramen before boarding her car.

As per tradition, to ward off evil spirits, the Gowda family members broke an ash gourd.

Earlier, immediately after her release from jail, Gowda and her mother had offered prayers at a temple located in front of the prison.

Her special prayers are likely to spark debate, as Darshan’s wife, Vijayalaxmi, has been seen running from pillar to post, visiting temples and praying for his release.

Gowda and Darshan's wife had spats on social media, which led Darshan's fans to take sides.

Victim Renukaswamy, who supported Vijayalaxmi, criticised Gowda, which ultimately led to his brutal death, according to police findings.

The Karnataka High Court had granted bail to actor Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, and others on December 13.

According to sources, Gowda's release was delayed due to technical reasons and the fulfilment of bail conditions.

Another accused Pradoosh Rao was also released along with her.

Meanwhile, the sixth accused Jagadish aka Jagga and the seventh accused Anukumar aka Anu are still behind bars even after the granting of bail as they had not fulfilled the surety.

During the bail hearings, senior counsel Tommy Sebastian represented Gowda in the court and submitted that she had no role to play in the kidnapping and murder of Renukaswamy. It was argued that the third accused Pavan had sent a message to Renukaswamy from the mobile of Gowda and she had left the scene of the crime after beating Renukaswamy with slippers. However, police claim that investigations revealed that Gowda actively participated in the murder of Renukaswamy.

Initially, it was believed that she had merely beaten the victim with slippers and had been present while Renukaswamy was hacked to death. However, further investigations found that she had told Renukaswamy he did not deserve to live when he pleaded with her for his life.

The investigation report stated: "Pavithra, who came to the crime scene with Darshan, was allegedly asked to deal with Renukaswamy for sending obscene pictures and derogatory messages. By then, Renukaswamy, who had been brutally assaulted and subjected to inhumane torture by a gang of 15 people, including Darshan, was bleeding and covered in injuries."

Police sources said bloodstain marks of Renukaswamy were found on Gowda's sandals and clothes. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports confirmed the presence of Renukaswamy's blood on her seized clothes. The probe further revealed that after the brutal murder, the next day, Gowda visited a beauty spa.

She was later summoned by the police and arrested. Gowda allegedly provoked, conspired, and participated in the crime. Along with her, the third accused, Puttaswamy alias Pavan K., 29; the fourth accused, Raghavendra, 43; the fifth accused, Nandeesha, 28; the sixth accused, Jagadish alias Jagga, 36; the seventh accused, Anukumar alias Anu, 25; the eleventh accused, Nagaraju; the twelfth accused, Lakshmana; the thirteenth accused, Deepak; and the sixteenth accused, Keshavamurthy, were all found to be directly involved in the heinous act, said the chargesheet.

Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others were arrested on June 11 on charges of kidnapping and brutally murdering Renukaswamy, a fan from Chitradurga. Renukaswamy allegedly sent derogatory and obscene messages to Gowda, disappointed over the fact that Darshan maintained a relationship with her despite being married.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Police are considering filing an appeal in the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court's decision to grant bail to Darshan. Gowda, a divorcee and single mother, has acted in Tamil and Kannada movies. She identifies herself as a fashion designer, model, artiste, and managing director of a boutique.