A special court convicted MPs, Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 18 others on Wednesday in the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda, ending a nearly decade-long investigation and trial that had dominated Dharwad politics.
Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhatt delivered the sentence in the presence of Kulkarni and the other accused. The court also acquitted two people in the case. The sentence is scheduled to be pronounced on Thursday.
The case relates to the murder of Yogesh Gowda, who was attacked by a group of assailants at a gym in Dadwad on June 15, 2016. He died at the scene. Investigators later treated the murder as a conspiracy. At the time of the incident, Kulkarni was serving as a minister in the state government and also served as the minister in charge of the district.
Local police initially investigated the murder. In 2019, after the BJP came to power, the state government referred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The agency collected evidence and examined the statements of 113 witnesses.
Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He remained in judicial custody for over nine months before the Supreme Court granted him bail in 2021. The CBI later approached the court seeking cancellation of bail on the grounds that he was trying to influence witnesses.
The court accepted the request to cancel the bail, which led to its cancellation. Kulkarni subsequently surrendered to the authorities. He was later released on bail again and continued to remain out on bail as the trial continued. Throughout the investigation and trial, Kulkarni denied the allegations.
The issue has also become a topic of political focus over the years, and a huge electoral pillar for the BJP. Former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa said in public rallies that Kulkarni would be sent to jail if the party comes to power in the state.
Kulkarni is currently serving as the MLA representing Dhadwad Assembly constituency. He is also the Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Board. Despite the ongoing case and court-imposed restrictions on his entry into the constituency during the campaign period, he contested the 2023 Assembly elections from Dharwad and won the seat. During the campaign, his wife and daughter defended him in his absence.
