BENGALURU: 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 case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) 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 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.