Kannada film star Darshan Thoogudeepa, arrested in connection with the murder of a 33-year-old fan, has requested a Bengaluru court to give him ‘poison’ citing the unbearable living conditions in prison as the reason for his plea, as per media reports.

Appearing before the City Civil and Sessions Court via video conferencing during a hearing in the Renukaswamy murder case, Thoogudeepa said that fungus had developed on his hands as he had not seen sunlight in days. The 48-year-old actor also alleged that his clothes stank. He then went on to request that the judge give him poison, according to latest media reports.

The court adjourned the matter till September 19 for the framing of charges.

The Supreme Court last month cancelled the bail given to the actor by the Karnataka High Court. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan cited the gravity of allegations levelled against him and ordered that he be taken into custody lest he should influence witnesses, impacting the impending trial.

According to police investigation, Renukaswamy, a 33-year-old fan from Chitradurga, had allegedly sent obscene and abusive messages to Thoogudeepa’s long-time friend Pavithra Gowda on social media, which reportedly enraged the actor and led to the alleged crime.

The victim’s body was recovered near a stormwater drain in Kamakshipalya in June last year, and a subsequent probe linked the killing to Darshan’s inner circle.

Known as Challenging Star and D Boss, Darshan Thoogudeepa has starred in films like Kariya (2003), Kalasipalya (2004), Gaja (2008), Navagraha (2008), Saarathi (2011), Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (2012), Bulbul (2013), Yajamana (2019), Roberrt (2021) and Kaatera (2023).