Bengaluru, July 31 (IANS) In a major development in the BJP leader Yogesh Gowda murder case, the Karnataka High Court on Friday granted interim bail to former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court earlier this month. The High Court also suspended the conviction order passed by a lower court.
The order was passed by a Division Bench of the High Court comprising Justice Mohammad Nawaz and Justice G. Basavaraja while hearing the criminal appeal filed by Vinay Kulkarni challenging his conviction. The Bench had reserved its verdict on July 9 after hearing arguments from both sides.
The High Court suspended the conviction order passed by the lower court while granting interim relief to Kulkarni. The court directed him to furnish a surety bond of Rs 5 lakh and imposed several conditions as part of the bail order.
Among the conditions, the court directed Kulkarni not to travel abroad without prior permission and did not continue the restriction imposed by the trial court prohibiting him from entering Dharwad district.
Kulkarni, who represented the Dharwad Rural Assembly constituency, is currently lodged in the Bengaluru Central Prison. With the High Court temporarily staying the conviction order, legal observers noted that the development could have significant political implications, including the possibility of his staking claim to the MLA post, subject to further legal proceedings.
His membership in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly had earlier stood disqualified following his conviction, and a bye-election for the Dharwad Rural seat was expected to be announced.
The case pertains to the murder of Yogesh Gowda, which has remained one of Karnataka’s most closely watched political cases. Kulkarni was convicted and awarded life imprisonment by a special court after being found guilty in connection with the murder.
The High Court’s interim order staying the conviction is expected to provide temporary relief to the former MLA pending further adjudication of the matter.
Meanwhile, sources indicated that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which investigated the case, is likely to move the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s order granting interim bail and suspending the conviction.
It can be noted that the BJP Zilla Panchayat member Gowda was murdered on June 15, 2016, at a gym in Dharwad. The probe was handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which uncovered an alleged political conspiracy. A special court for elected representatives in Bengaluru sentenced Vinay Kulkarni and 16 co-accused to life imprisonment on April 17, 2026.
The CBI had stated that, after Yogesh Gowda was murdered on August 10, 2016 at his gym in Dharwad, the case was initially registered by local police, who filed charges against six people, before being transferred to the CBI for further investigation.
The agency found a larger conspiracy involving Kulkarni, his uncle Chandrashekhar Indi, and a police Inspector, who allegedly helped destroy evidence and frame others. The CBI filed a chargesheet against 21 accused after investigation, the CBI had stated.
–IANS
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