Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday asserted that there is no pressure on him to change the special public prosecutor (SPP) in the Renukaswamy murder case involving actor Darshan, his girlfriend, and his 15 associates.
"There is no pressure on me to change the SPP by any minister and MLAs. I wouldn’t care if anyone tries to put pressure," he told reporters here on the alleged pressure to change SPP Prasanna Kumar.
Siddaramaiah termed the news of changing the SPP as false and far from the truth.
“We will do exactly what the law says. The police are given a free hand and directed to carry out investigations as per the law. There is no proposal to change the SPP," he maintained.
Meanwhile, Home Minister G. Parameshwara again emphasised that there is no intention to weaken the case against Kannada superstar Darshan in the fan murder case.
Darshan, his 'partner' and co-star Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others have been arrested on charges of murdering Renukaswamy (33), a resident of Chitradurga. The probe so far revealed that Renukaswamy was a big fan of Darshan and had sent derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda on social media. He was allegedly kidnapped, brought to Bengaluru, kept in a shed, and brutally tortured to death.
Asked if the police were mulling to replace the SPP, Parameshwara said: "We are investigating the matter without succumbing to any pressure. If there is a need to change the SPP, there must be a valid reason. The decision to change the SPP won’t be made without a reason."
"We will take proper legal advice and act accordingly. As far as I know, there is no proposal to change the SPP," he said. However, he also said that in case the SPP is replaced, it should not be viewed as a wrong move.
Prasanna Kumar has represented the prosecution for agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) before and secured convictions. He also represented the prosecution in Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar’s case and various bomb blast cases.
Asked about Darshan’s reported confession to the crime, Parameshwara said he was not aware of it.
"I don’t know about the internal aspects of the probe. The media often gets news before I do. This is a serious matter and actions will be taken without any hesitation," he said.
Sources claimed on Wednesday that Darshan has reportedly admitted to his involvement in the murder case as per the remand copy submitted to the 24th ACMM court. As per the remand copy, Darshan gave Rs 30 lakh to Pradosh, an accused in the case, to manage the police and lawyers, and to pay those who disposed of the body. The police have reportedly seized the money from Pradosh's residence.
Replying to a question about the disappearance of actor Darshan’s manager Mallikarjun for the past one and a half years, Parameshwara said the police would verify the matter.
"The SIT will decide if it wants a probe into this. If they seek permission from the government, we will grant it," he said. About the suicide case of Sridhar, one of Darshan’s employees, Parameshwara said the matter will be probed if a connection with the actor in this matter is established.
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