Overview
- All 17 accused pleaded not guilty in the 64th Sessions Court, which posted the case for trial on November 10 under tight security.
- Judge I. P. Naik cleared a crowded courtroom and warned proceedings could be held in-camera before completing the formal framing and signatures.
- According to the charges read in court, 33-year-old Renukaswamy was abducted, taken to a shed, and fatally assaulted with slippers and a wooden plank.
- The court record alleges Pavithra Gowda struck the victim and Darshan assaulted his private parts, and notes claims that some co-accused were offered money to take the blame.
- The accused face IPC sections including 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 359 (kidnapping), 204 (destruction of evidence) and unlawful assembly, supported by a 3,991-page charge sheet citing CCTV data, messages and photos, FSL blood-stain findings, and witness statements.