Bengaluru, April 9 – The Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru will pronounce its judgment on Thursday in the murder case of BJP leader and Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda, in which sitting Dharwad Rural Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni is an accused. The case dates back to 2016. The court will also decide the fate of 21 accused people in connection with the case.
MLA Vinay Kulkarni is listed as accused number 15. The state government handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). At the time the allegations surfaced, Kulkarni was serving as a minister and district in-charge minister.
Yogesh Gowda was murdered by a group of assailants at a gym in Dharwad city on June 15, 2016. He had politically challenged Kulkarni, and the incident soon took a political turn.
Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and released on bail in 2021. He was accused of influencing witnesses, following which the CBI sought cancellation of his bail, alleging violation of bail conditions. The court accepted the plea and revoked his bail. Subsequently, Kulkarni, who is currently the Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, surrendered before the authorities and was recently released on bail again.
It may be recalled that Kulkarni was accused of conspiring in the murder of BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda. At the time, he was a Cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. Although his name surfaced, no action was initially taken against him.
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 CBI, and Kulkarni was arrested. He spent more than nine months in jail before securing bail from the Supreme Court.
Last year, the Karnataka High Court directed the CBI to expedite the investigation and examination of witnesses in the case. Kulkarni was elected from the Dharwad Assembly constituency in the 2023 state polls, despite a court order barring his entry into the constituency. His wife and daughter campaigned on his behalf.
It can also be recalled that the family of deceased Yogesh Gowda had received an anonymous letter a few days before the murder, warning the BJP leader of impending death.
Initially, the local police arrested six people in the case, but later, the case was transferred by the then BJP government to the CBI, and 15 more people, including Vinay Kulkarni, were allegedly found to be involved.
The CBI has alleged in a supplementary chargesheet that Vinay Kulkarni was the “main conspirator” in the murder case and that he hatched the conspiracy to kill Yogesh Gouda, who was perceived as a political threat. His close relative Chandu Mama is alleged to have provided the logistical support to execute the murder.