Bengaluru, April 15: The MP/MLA Court in Bengaluru has convicted senior Congress legislator and former minister Vinay Kulkarni in the murder case of BJP leader and district panchayat member Yogesh Gowda.
After a lengthy hearing, the court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take Kulkarni and other accused into custody. Kulkarni is identified as accused number 15 in this case and currently serves as the chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board. The court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, April 16.
Meanwhile, the court ordered the release of accused number 20 and 21, Vasudev Nilekani and Someshkar. The CBI had charged a total of 21 individuals in this case, with 17 found guilty. Out of the 21, two defendants turned approvers and testified. Thus, the court has convicted a total of 19 accused.
Accused number 1, Basavaraj Muttagi, testified as a government witness, while accused number 17, Shivanand, provided contradictory statements despite being an approver. Consequently, the CBI has applied to reinstate him as an accused.
The convicted individuals include accused number 2 Vikram, 3 Kirti Kumar, 4 Sandeep, 5 Vinayak, 6 Mahabaleshwar alias Mudaka, 7 Santosh, 8 Dinesh, 9 Ashwath, 10 Sunil, 11 Nazir Ahmed, 12 Shanawaz, 13 Nutan, 14 Harshit, 15 Vinay Kulkarni, 16 Chandru Mama, 18 Vikas Kalburgi, and 19 Channakeshav Tingarikar.
It is noteworthy that the special court for legislators and MPs in Bengaluru had set April 15 as the date for the verdict. This case dates back to 2016, and the court is also ruling on the fate of 21 other accused linked to the incident.
The investigation was handed over to the CBI by the state government. At the time of the allegations, Vinay Kulkarni was a minister in the Siddaramaiah government and served as the district in-charge minister.
On June 15, 2016, BJP leader Yogesh Gowda was murdered by armed assailants at a gym in Dharwad city. He was politically challenging Vinay Kulkarni, escalating the situation.
Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and granted bail in 2021. He faced allegations of influencing witnesses, prompting the CBI to seek the cancellation of his bail, which was subsequently revoked by the court.
Following this, Kulkarni surrendered and later received bail again. He was implicated in the conspiracy to murder Gowda while serving as a cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah government.
The BJP later turned this issue into a significant political topic, with then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa stating that Kulkarni would be jailed if the BJP came to power.
The case was then transferred to the CBI, leading to Kulkarni’s arrest. He spent over nine months in jail before obtaining bail from the Supreme Court.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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