A special court for MPs/MLAs convicted former minister and Congress MLA for Dharwad Vinay Kulkarni in the Yogesh Gowda murder case, finding him guilty of murder and criminal conspiracy on Wednesday, April 15. The court, however, acquitted him of charges under the Arms Act. The quantum of the sentence is scheduled to be pronounced on April 16.
The case relates to the killing of BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda, who was murdered on June 15, 2016, at a gym in Dharwad. Kulkarni, then a cabinet minister, was later named as a key accused in the alleged conspiracy behind the killing.
The local police initially investigated the case, which was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2019 after the BJP came to power in the state. The agency filed a supplementary charge sheet naming Kulkarni as an accused under various provisions, including Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 143, 147, 148 and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections of the Arms Act.
The CBI examined 113 witnesses during the investigation and arrested Kulkarni in 2020. He spent over nine months in jail before being granted bail by the Supreme Court on August 11, 2021. The apex court later cancelled his bail on June 6, 2025.
Kulkarni was convicted on Wednesday after the conclusion of trial proceedings, with the court reserving the sentence to be pronounced on April 16.
Conviction for murder under Section 302, which carries life imprisonment or the death penalty, means that if sentenced, Kulkarni will face automatic disqualification as MLA. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a legislator is disqualified if convicted and sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more. Section 8(4), which earlier offered protection to sitting lawmakers, was struck down by the Supreme Court in the Lily Thomas vs Union of India case, which held it to be ultra vires the Constitution.