The Metropolitan Magistrate's court on Monday reserved its order on the bail application of Kannada actor Darshan Toogudeepa for Tuesday in cases filed by his wife Vijayalakshmi.
Public Prosecutor Amrut Kumar objected to the bail, describing the charges against the actor as serious and drew the judge's attention to Ms. Vijayalakshmi's injuries.
Darshan's lawyers argued the charges were false and filed in haste and anger by Ms. Vijayalakshmi. Citing previous cases, they pushed for a compromise outside the court.
Can't be withdrawn
However, according to lawyers present in the courtroom, a murder attempt charge cannot be withdrawn once it is presented to the court. Charges filed against Darshan, who was not present at the court, also include other serious offenses like criminal intimidation, assault and use of arms.
During the hearing, the judge pulled up Ms. Vijayalakshmi, who was accompanied by her and her husband's family, for her contradictory statements. On September 8, she had filed a complaint accusing her husband of assaulting her and threatening her with a revolver. However, on Sunday, she appeared before the court of First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Venkatesh Hulagi and retracted her statement, saying her injuries were due to a fall in the bathroom.
After last week's scuffle between advocates and reporters in a trial hearing involving the actor, the media were strictly kept out of the courtroom.
Darshan, who was arrested on September 9, has since been in judicial custody.
Still in hospital
The actor, hospitalised at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases ostensibly for asthma and jaundice, may remain there at least two more days, said RGICD Director Shashidhar Buggi.
“He is still getting repeated broncho-spasms and bilateral diffused wheezing. We have put him on nebulisation with steroids, broncho-dilators and antibiotics too,” Dr. Buggi said. “As he has started taking normal food from Sunday onwards, we stopped IV fluids and nasal oxygen today,” he said.
“Although he was suffering from cough on and off, his asthma was not diagnosed till he was arrested.
“He was not on any medication for asthma before and it was assumed he had a smoker's cough. The cold temperature, coupled with stress, strain and emotional problems besides smoking, has aggravated the asthma,” Dr. Buggi said.
The actor also has mild jaundice, he said. “We learnt that he had suffered from hepatitis six months ago and had taken medication for that. So we repeated a liver function test and found he had mild jaundice.” The actor had been advised to stop smoking and drinking, he added.
