Actor Darshan, who was arrested for allegedly torturing and murdering one of his fans for allegedly sending obscene messages to his friend and actor Pavithra Gowda, was today granted interim bail by the Karnataka High Court for six weeks.
The 47-year-old actor had sought bail on the grounds that he was experiencing numbness in both feet and needed to undergo surgery.
Darshan will have to surrender his passport and will have to furnish details of his treatment at the hospital of his choice within seven days, Justice S Vishwajith Shetty said.
On Tuesday, his lawyer requested the court for permission for his surgery to be performed at a private hospital in Mysuru.
His request, however, was opposed by the public prosecutor, who said that the medical documents did not specify how many days Darshan would need to be hospitalised and argued that the surgery could be conducted at a government hospital.
He was arrested on June 11 with Pavithra Gowda and 15 others for the torture and murder of one of his fans, Renukaswamy, in Bengaluru.
The police had said Renukaswamy, 33, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Bengaluru on June 9.
In September, Bengaluru police submitted a comprehensive charge sheet containing 3,991 pages against 17 individuals involved in the case, which includes Darshan and Gowda.
Darshan has been lodged in Ballary jail, having been transferred there after photos of him hanging out with three others in the Parappana Agrahara Central jail emerged online in August, sparking a row over alleged preferential treatment in jail.