India’s Supreme Court on Thursday said it was “not at all convinced” by the way the Karnataka High Court granted bail to Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa in the Renukaswamy murder case, indicating it may intervene to cancel the relief. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, hearing the state government’s challenge to the High Court’s 13 December 2024 order, asked Darshan’s counsel to provide compelling reasons for letting the bail stand. “You must have seen the manner in which the High Court dictated the order,” Justice Pardiwala told senior advocate Kapil Sibal during the brief hearing. Darshan, co-actor Pavithra Gowda and several associates are accused of abducting 33-year-old fan Renukaswamy, torturing him over three days in June 2024 in Bengaluru and dumping his body in a drain. Police say the victim had sent obscene messages to Gowda. The justices also sought details of any prior offences or post-bail conduct that might affect the inquiry and fixed the matter for further hearing next week. Until a final decision, Darshan and the other accused remain on bail as ordered by the High Court.