This is not the 1st time Darshan has been jailed: Kannada star was imprisoned a decade ago

It seems that disgraced Kannada superstar Darshan Thoogudeepa’s life has been reduced to being in and out of hail. The once ‘Majestic’ star, who is currently lodged in Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru for masterminding the ruthless murder of a fan named Renuka Swamy had been behind bars at the same prison 13 years ago, for assaulting his wife Vijayalakshmi.

In September 2011, Darshan was arrested for assaulting his wife, Vijayalakshmi, and spent 28 days in Parappana Agrahara jail. He was later released on bail after the couple reconciled, and Vijayalakshmi withdrew the case. On June 11, Darshan was again arrested, this time in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case, and has been in police custody since. Two days ago, the Bengaluru court placed 13 other suspects, including Darshan's friend Pavithra Gowda, in 14-day judicial custody.

Special Public Prosecutor Prasanna Kumar requested that some of the accused be transferred to different prisons to prevent them from conspiring. A total of 17 people are charged in the murder of Renukaswamy, an auto driver and assistant pharmacist from Chitradurga.

According to police reports, Renuka Swamy was killed for harassing Darshan’s alleged girlfriend and partner-in-crime Pavithra Gowda. Like many die-hard fans, the 33-year-old youth believed Gowda was responsible for the rift between Darshan and his wife and wanted them to reconcile. He sent Gowda many objectionable messages, including explicit images of his private parts.

Renuka is survived by a pregnant wife and ageing parents.