Karnataka Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni convicted of BJP worker's 2016 murder; land row, political rivalry among 'motives'

BENGALURU: A court here Wednesday held former Congress minister and Dharwad Rural MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 16 others guilty of plotting and executing the murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda in Dharwad in 2016.

The special court for elected representatives will announce the quantum of punishment Thursday. If the jail term is two years or more, then Kulkarni will lose assembly membership immediately, prompting a by-election to his constituency.

Special Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat said the accused were convicted for murder and conspiracy. Kulkarni, present in court, broke down when the verdict was read out.

Standing outside courthall, Kulkarni broke down when he saw his family, including his three children. He had come out on bail on Feb 28 this year. Last year, Supreme Court rejected his bail after CBI said Kulkarni was allegedly threatening and influencing witnesses.

The deceased, Yogesh Gowda, 26, a member of Dharwad zilla panchayat, was murdered at his gym in Sapthapura, Dharwad, on June 15, 2016. Speculated motives included a suspected land dispute and political conspiracy. At that time, Kulkarni was mines and geology minister.

Dharwad police investigated the murder as a result of a property dispute and filed a chargesheet against six individuals in Sept 2016. However, Yogesh’s family, led by wife Mallamma, rejected the property-dispute theory. She said it was an old political rivalry and suspected the role of Kulkarni. Three years later, then CM BS Yediyurappa transferred the case to the central probe agency, CBI. In 2020, CBI arrested Kulkarni and made him accused No. 15.

As many as 21 accused persons were named in the CBI chargeheet. Two accused, Basavaraj Muttagi and Shivananda Biradar, were acquitted after they turned approvers. Two others, Vasudeva Rama Nilekani and Somashekar Basappa Nyamagouda, were acquitted over benefit of doubt.
CBI police took 17 convicts into custody.
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