Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni convicted in BJP leader murder case​

Bengaluru: In a major development, the Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru on Wednesday held senior Congress MLA and former minister Vinay Kulkarni guilty in the murder case of BJP leader and Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda. ​

The court delivered its final verdict after a prolonged trial and directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to take Vinay Kulkarni and the other accused into custody.​

Vinay Kulkarni has been named as accused number 15 in the case. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board. The court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Thursday, April 16.​

Meanwhile, the court ordered the release of accused numbers 20 and 21, Vasudev Nilekani and Somashekar.​

A total of 21 persons were named as accused in the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Among 21 accused persons, 17 were found guilty. Out of the 21 accused, two have turned approvers. In this background, the court has delivered its verdict holding 19 accused guilty.​

Accused number one, Basavaraj Muttagi, had turned approver and given his statement, while accused number 17, Shivanand, even after turning approver, gave a hostile statement. Hence, the Central Bureau of Investigation has filed an application to re-accuse accused number 17.​

The accused number two Vikram, accused number three Keerthi Kumar, accused number four Sandeep, accused number five Vinayak, accused number six Mahabaleshwar alias Mudaka, accused number seven Santosh, accused number eight Dinesh, accused number nine Ashwath, accused number ten Sunil, accused number eleven Nazeer Ahmed, accused number twelve Shanawaz, accused number thirteen Nutan, accused number fourteen Harshit, accused number fifteen Vinay Kulkarni, accused number sixteen Chandru Mama, accused number eighteen Vikas Kalaburagi, and accused number nineteen Channakeshava Tingarikar have been declared guilty.​

It can be recalled that the Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru had adjourned the pronouncement of its judgment to April 15 in the case.​

The case dates back to 2016, and the court will also decide the fate of 21 other accused in connection with the incident.​

The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the state government. At the time the allegations surfaced, Kulkarni was serving as a minister and district in-charge minister.​

Yogesh Gowda was hacked to death by a group of assailants at a gym in Dharwad city on June 15, 2016. He had challenged Kulkarni politically, and the incident soon took a turn for the worse.​

Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and released on bail in 2021. He was accused of influencing witnesses, following which the Central Bureau of Investigation sought cancellation of his bail, alleging violation of bail conditions. The court accepted the plea and revoked his bail.​

Subsequently, Kulkarni surrendered before the authorities and was recently released on bail again.​

Kulkarni was accused of conspiring in the murder of Yogesh Gowda. At the time, he was a Cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah-led government. Although his name surfaced, no action was taken against him initially.​

The BJP later made it a major issue, with former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa vowing at election rallies that Kulkarni would be sent to jail if the BJP came to power.​

The case was subsequently handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, and Kulkarni was arrested. He spent more than nine months in jail before securing bail from the Supreme Court.​

IANS