Who is Prasanna Kumar, a veteran lawyer to lead prosecution in Renukaswamy murder trial against actor Darshan

Bengaluru: Prasanna Kumar has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case, where Sandalwood actor Darshan Thoogudeepa is among the accused.

Prasanna Kumar’s legal career is distinguished by his roles in various significant cases. In 2016, he was appointed as a Special Public Prosecutor to represent the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in court. The same year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also appointed him to a similar role. By 2018, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had engaged him as a Special Public Prosecutor as well.

Currently, Kumar is leading arguments for the CBI in a case challenging the withdrawal of consent to investigate corruption allegations against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The Karnataka High Court has reserved its judgment on the matter.

Born on May 2, 1979, Prasanna Kumar holds a BA LLB from the University College of Law, Bengaluru, and a postgraduate diploma in alternative dispute resolution from NALSAR University, Hyderabad. He enrolled as an advocate on August 25, 2001, beginning his career under Senior Advocate CH Jadhav, a former State Public Prosecutor and CBI standing counsel.

Over his two-decade career, Prasanna Kumar has handled more than 484 cases, frequently appearing before trial courts and the Karnataka High Court. His portfolio includes high-profile cases such as illegal mining, the Karim Lal Telgi stamp paper scam, demonetisation cases, the I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam, and the illegal sale of Mysuru Maharaja’s properties.

Prasanna Kumar has also represented the NIA in notable cases, including the DJ Halli-KG Halli riot, the Mysore court bomb blast, the Church Street bomb blast, and the murders of RSS worker Rudresh and BJP worker Praveen Nettaru. Additionally, he has represented the ED in cases against Xiaomi and Devas Multimedia under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

He served as the SPP in cases involving BJP MLA Ramesh Jarakiholi’s sex-for-job scam, the police sub-inspector recruitment scam, and the 2020 Bitcoin scam for the Central Crime Branch (CCB).

In his latest assignment, Prasanna Kumar will represent the state in the Renukaswamy murder case. Allegedly, Renukaswamy succumbed to injuries from an attack orchestrated by Darshan Thoogudeepa following derogatory comments made against Darshan's girlfriend, Pavithra Gowda, on social media. Pavithra Gowda is also an accused in the case.

The case involves seventeen accused individuals. Recently, a trial court extended the police custody of Darshan and three other accused until June 22, while eleven others were remanded to judicial custody. Two accused were previously sent to judicial custody after their police custody period ended.