

BENGALURU: A city civil and sessions court on Monday directed actor Darshan to appear before it via video conference in connection with his application seeking permission to appear in person in the Renukaswamy murder case. The actor had filed the application citing lack of facilities and difficulties in communicating with his lawyer if he attended the proceedings via video conference.
Appearing for Darshan, senior advocate Hashmath Pasha argued that allowing Darshan to appear in person would help him communicate with his lawyers and receive instructions during the recording of evidence. Stating that there is no proper headphone facility for video conferences, he sought permission for Darshan to be physically present in the court.
However, special public prosecutor (SPP) Prasanna Kumar opposed the plea, arguing that the law permits accused persons to appear through video conferences and that physically producing Darshan in the court could disrupt the proceedings. Therefore, Darshan’s physical presence is not necessary, he said. The court directed its technical wing to provide all facilities to enable the accused to communicate privately with their lawyers.