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 Vinay Kulkarni and other accused into custody. Kulkarni, identified as accused number 15, currently serves as the chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board. He has been found guilty of criminal conspiracy. The sentencing will be announced on Thursday, April 16.
Meanwhile, the court ordered the release of accused numbers 20 and 21, Vasudev Nilekani and Somasekhar. The CBI had charged a total of 21 individuals in this case, with 17 being found guilty. Out of the 21 accused, two had turned government witnesses. Thus, the court has convicted a total of 19 individuals.
Accused number 1, Basavaraj Muttagi, testified as a government witness, while accused number 17, Shivanand, provided contradictory statements despite being a witness. Consequently, the CBI has applied to reinstate him as an accused.
The other convicted individuals include Vikram (accused 2), Kirti Kumar (3), Sandeep (4), Vinayak (5), Mahableshwar alias Mudaka (6), Santosh (7), Dinesh (8), Ashwath (9), Sunil (10), Nazir Ahmed (11), Shanawaz (12), Nutan (13), Harshit (14), Vinay Kulkarni (15), Chandru Mama (16), Vikas Kalburgi (18), and Channakeshav Tingarikar (19).
Notably, the special court for legislators and parliamentarians had set April 15 as the date for the verdict. This case dates back to 2016, and the court is also deciding the fate of 21 other accused linked to this incident.
The state government had handed over the investigation to the CBI. At the time of the allegations, Vinay Kulkarni was a minister in the Siddaramaiah government and 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 tensions in the region.
Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and granted bail in 2021. He faced accusations of influencing witnesses, prompting the CBI to seek the cancellation of his bail, which the court later granted. Following this, Kulkarni surrendered and was subsequently granted bail again.
He was implicated in the conspiracy to murder Yogesh Gowda while serving as a cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah government. The BJP later escalated the issue politically, with then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa stating that Kulkarni would be jailed if the BJP came to power.
The case was subsequently handed over 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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