Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murder of BJP Leader Yogesh Gowda; 16 Others Also Convicted

A special court in Bengaluru on Thursday sentenced Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni to life imprisonment in connection with his role in the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda from Dharwad.

The sentence was pronounced by Special Court Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat.

The court had on April 15 convicted Kulkarni along with 16 other accused persons for their involvement in the murder. The conviction was recorded under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, after the court found that the accused had entered into a conspiracy to eliminate the victim.

Yogesh Gowda, a BJP leader and former member of the Dharwad Zila Panchayat, was killed on 15.06.2016, at a gym in Dharwad. Following the incident, a first information report was registered at the Dharwad Suburban Police Station.

The case was investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which filed a chargesheet invoking offences including criminal conspiracy, murder, public servant disobeying law with intent to shield an accused, destruction of evidence, unlawful assembly, rioting with deadly weapons, illegal possession and trafficking of arms, and misconduct by a public servant for undue gain.

Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI on 05.11.2020. He was later granted conditional bail by the Supreme Court on 11.08.2021.

However, on 07.06.2025, the Supreme Court cancelled his bail after observing that there was credible material indicating that he had attempted to contact or influence witnesses during the trial.

Charges were framed against the accused on 26.05.2023. Upon conclusion of the trial, the court held that multiple accused, including Vikram Bellary (Accused No. 2), Keerthi Kumar (Accused No. 3), Sandeep Savadatti (Accused No. 4), Vinayak Katagi (Accused No. 5), Mahabaleshwar Hongal alias Mudaka (Accused No. 6), Santosh Savadatti (Accused No. 7), Dinesh M (Accused No. 8), S Ashwath (Accused No. 9), KS Sunil (Accused No. 10), Nazir Ahmed (Accused No. 11), Shanwaz (Accused No. 12), K Nutan (Accused No. 13), C Harshit (Accused No. 14), Vinay Kulkarni (Accused No. 15), Chandrasekhar Indi alias Chandru Mama (Accused No. 16), Vikas Kalaburgi (Accused No. 18) and Channakesava Tingarikar (Accused No. 19) were part of the conspiracy to murder Gowda.

Following the conviction, the court sentenced accused Nos. 2 to 16 and 18 to life imprisonment for the offences under Sections 302 and 120B IPC, and directed each of them to pay a fine of Rs. 30,000. Kulkarni is Accused No. 15 in the case.

In addition to the life sentence for murder and conspiracy, the court imposed sentences for other offences. For the offence under Section 143 (unlawful assembly), accused Nos. 2 to 14 and 18 were sentenced to simple imprisonment for six months along with a fine of Rs. 2,000 each.

For the offence under Section 147 (rioting), the same set of accused were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one year with a fine of Rs. 2,000 each. For the offence under Section 148 (rioting while armed with a deadly weapon), they were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one year along with a fine of Rs. 2,000 each.

For the offence under Section 201 of the IPC relating to destruction of evidence, accused Nos. 2 to 16, 18 and 19 were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years and directed to pay a fine of Rs. 30,000 each. The court clarified that all sentences would run concurrently.

The court further directed that out of the fines imposed, an amount of Rs. 16 lakh shall be paid to the children of Yogesh Gowda as compensation, while the remaining amount would be forfeited to the State.

Kulkarni and Chandrasekhar Indi were acquitted of charges under the Arms Act. Additionally, two accused, Vasudev Rama Nilekani and Somashekhar Nyamagowda (Accused Nos. 20 and 21), were acquitted on the benefit of doubt.

During the course of the proceedings, the court also granted liberty to the prosecution to file an application seeking sanction to prosecute approver-turned-witness Shivanand Srishaila Biradar, who turned hostile during the trial.

It further directed the registry to initiate proceedings under Section 340 of the Code of Criminal Procedure against certain police and independent witnesses.

With the sentencing now pronounced, the trial in the case stands concluded, subject to any appellate remedies that may be pursued by the convicted accused in accordance with law.

Source: The New Indian Express