Karnataka High Court Suspends Life Sentence of Congress MLA in 2016 Murder Case

High Court Ruling on Vinay Kulkarni's Sentence

The Karnataka High Court has put a hold on the life imprisonment sentence given to Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni by a special court in connection with the murder of a BJP leader in 2016. On Friday, the court granted him bail pending the resolution of his appeal. The Dharwad bench of the High Court accepted Kulkarni's petition requesting the suspension of his sentence and a stay on his conviction.

This case pertains to the murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gaudar, who was killed in Dharwad in 2016. The bench, comprising Justice Mohammad Nawaz and Justice G. Basavaraju, also prohibited Kulkarni from leaving the country without prior court approval and instructed him to appear before the High Court and subordinate courts as required. The High Court ordered that the conviction against Kulkarni would remain on hold until the appeal is decided.

A detailed order is awaited. The High Court has also suspended the sentences of several other convicted individuals related to this case. A special court established for the trial of MPs and MLAs had convicted Kulkarni and 15 others on April 16, with sentencing occurring the following day.

Yogesh Gaudar, a former member of the Dharwad district panchayat and BJP leader, was murdered in a gym in Dharwad in 2016. Initially, the Dharwad suburban police investigated the case, but in 2019, the CBI took over the investigation. The special court framed charges against Kulkarni and other accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and murder, as well as provisions of the Arms Act in December 2023.

During the appeal hearing, Kulkarni argued that none of the government witnesses who were interrogated during the trial testified in favor of the prosecution. He also claimed that after the CBI took over the investigation and the trial was moved to a special court in Bengaluru, several key witnesses, including eyewitnesses, retracted their statements. The CBI opposed this petition, asserting that the evidence recorded during the previous proceedings in the Dharwad court could not be trusted, as witnesses had been influenced at that time.

Kulkarni, who was a minister at the time of the murder, was arrested by the CBI in 2020. He was later granted bail, and earlier this year, a special court found him guilty.