Bengaluru, May 8: The Karnataka High Court’s vacation bench has requested a response from the prosecution regarding the appeal filed by former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni in the murder case of BJP leader and district panchayat member Yogesh Gowda.
Challenging his life imprisonment sentence, the petitioner has sought a stay on the High Court’s decision. The case was presented before a division bench led by Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum and Justice Rajesh Rai. The bench has postponed the hearing until May 26.
Another accused, Chandrashekar Indi, has also filed an appeal. Kulkarni is hoping for bail and a stay on his sentence. Following his conviction, Kulkarni’s legislative position was annulled on April 15.
During the initial hearing, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lawyer raised objections related to the petition and requested additional time. Accepting the request, the bench adjourned the hearing.
In this case, the lawyer for police circle inspector Channakeshava Tingarikara, who was sentenced to seven years in prison, informed the court that the appeal against Tingarikara’s sentence was previously listed before a single judge’s bench. However, the lawyer noted that this case was later combined with petitions filed by other accused individuals.
The lawyer further argued that their client faced only bailable offenses, thus he should not be subjected to imprisonment. They requested bail for the defendants.
According to sources, after hearing the arguments, the bench found that Tingarikara’s petition could be heard separately and postponed the case until May 14.
It is noteworthy that Vinay Kulkarni is listed as accused number 15. The state government had referred this case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). At the time the allegations surfaced, Kulkarni was serving as a minister and the district in-charge minister.
Yogesh Gowda was brutally murdered on June 15, 2016, in a gym in Dharwad city. He had posed a political challenge to Kulkarni, and the incident quickly escalated into violence. Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and released on bail in 2021.
He was accused of influencing witnesses, leading the CBI to seek the cancellation of his bail due to violations of bail conditions. The court accepted the petition and revoked his bail.
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