Pavithra Gowda is not Darshan’s wife, clarifies counsel

Bengaluru: Pavithra Gowda, one of the prime accused in the murder of a fan of Kannada superstar Darshan, is just a co-star of the actor and not his wife, Darshan’s counsel Anil Babu clarified on Saturday. Darshan, his ‘partner’ Pavithra Gowda, and 14 others were arrested earlier this week 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. The victim was allegedly kidnapped, brought to Bengaluru, kept in a shed, and brutally tortured to death. Speaking to reporters after visiting Darshan at the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station on Saturday, Anil Babu said, “I have met Darshan twice after his arrest. I am representing Darshan through his wife, in-laws, and family members. His wife Vijayalaxmi is sad with some sections of the media projecting Pavithra Gowda as Darshan’s wife. She can’t even go outside.”

According to Anil Babu, Vijayalaxmi wants to clarify to the media and the people of Karnataka that she is the only legally married wife (of Darshan), and there is no one else other than her.

“The couple has one son. Pavithra Gowda is a co-artiste and friend of Darshan, and there is no relationship between them,” he said.

When asked about the police and the authorities addressing Pavithra Gowda as Darshan’s wife, Anil Babu said most probably they did so by mistake. “There is no record to prove that Pavithra Gowda is Darshan’s wife. Had they been married, there should have been some documents, but there is nothing to show that she is the wife of Darshan,” Anil Babu maintained. “Darshan is married to only one person, which is Vijayalaxmi,” he added.

Asked about Darshan’s state in police custody, the counsel said, “He is doing fine. We cannot ask many questions in the presence of the police other than his health condition, etc. Darshan had pain in his shoulder and ankle.” “A media trial is going on with reports already claiming that Darshan will get 14 years in jail. We will move a bail application before the sessions court at an appropriate time after getting the necessary documents,” he said.

To recall, Pavithra Gowda had put up a post on social media celebrating 10 years of her ‘relationship’ with the actor, which Vijayalaxmi strongly objected to as she slammed her for ‘destroying’ her family. While the actor’s fans were divided over their support for either of the two women, Renukaswamy had backed Vijayalaxmi and sent derogatory messages to Pavithra Gowda that reportedly triggered a chain of events leading to his death.