A special court in Bengaluru dealing with cases related to MPs and MLAs has convicted Congress leader and Dharwad MLA Vinay Kulkarni in the murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda. The court found him guilty of murder and criminal conspiracy on Wednesday, 15th April. However, he was cleared of charges under the Arms Act. The court will announce the final sentence on Thursday, 16th April.
The CBI examined as many as 113 witnesses during the investigation. Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and spent more than nine months in jail. The Supreme Court later granted him bail on 11th August, 2021. However, his bail was cancelled on 6th June, 2025.
After a long trial, the court has now found him guilty, and sentencing has been adjourned to the next day (Thursday, 16th April).
Since Kulkarni has been convicted under Section 302, which states that murder is punishable with life imprisonment or death, based on the court’s discretion.
As per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, any elected representative sentenced to two years or more in jail is automatically disqualified. The protection that earlier allowed sitting lawmakers to continue was removed after the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Lily Thomas case.
Background of the case
The case goes back to 15th June, 2016, when Yogesh Gowda, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, was shot dead inside a gym in Dharwad, Karnataka. At that time, Kulkarni was serving as a cabinet minister in Karnataka. Later, his name came up as one of the key accused in the conspiracy behind the killing.
Initially, the local police handled the investigation. But in 2019, when the BJP came to power in Karnataka, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet against Kulkarni, accusing him under several sections of the law, including criminal conspiracy and murder.
