Supreme Court cancels Darshan’s bail: Ramya welcomes verdict, justice above celebrity status

Speaker Ramya, a former Congress MP and actress, has welcomed the Supreme Court's announcement that actor Darshan Thoogudeepa's bail has been cancelled. "This is a very important verdict that says everyone is equal before the law. It shows the society that the law will take its course and deliver justice," she said in an interview with ANI.As per ANI, the bench headed by Supreme Court Justices R. Mahadevan and J.P. Partiwala, which heard the case, said that the Karnataka High Court verdict granting bail to Darshan ignored strong evidence, it pointed out that the conviction was based on reasons that contradicted the legal principles established in murder cases. The court also held that reasons such as the mere filing of a chargesheet, the presence of a large number of witnesses, or the risk of the case being prolonged cannot be fundamental reasons for reducing the seriousness of the crime.Furthermore, the court pointed to records showing that Darshan made systematic attempts to influence the investigation. Details such as arranging for them to surrender as co-accused, providing money to cover up the crime, and using the police to interfere in the FIR and postmortem process were placed before the Supreme Court. The court pointed out that CCTV footage from the convict's house was destroyed and that he influenced witnesses by participating in open public meetings after bail.In the end, the Supreme Court emphasized that bail cannot be granted based solely on the status of celebrities, and that fame, political dominance, and influence in society should not adversely affect the administration of justice. "Celebrities don't have less responsibility, they have more. They are role models in society. Granting bail in the face of allegations of conspiracy to murder would send a false message to society and undermine public confidence in the judiciary," the ruling stated.