Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 17: Delivering a landmark ruling in the high-profile Yogesh Gowda murder case, a Special Court for Elected Representatives in Bengaluru on Thursday sentenced Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni along with 15 others to life imprisonment.
The court also handed a seven-year jail term to the 19th accused, Chennakeshava Tingarikar. The verdict was pronounced by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat, who convicted the accused under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and murder.
The court further directed that Rs 16 lac be paid as compensation to the children of the deceased Yogesh Gowda.
During the proceedings, it was noted that Vinay Kulkarni had been wearing the same clothes for the past three days. His counsel had sought permission for a change of clothing, following which the court directed prison authorities to provide attire as per the jail manual.
The case relates to the brutal killing of former Dharwad Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda, who was hacked to death on June 15, 2016, at a gym in Saptapur locality of Dharwad in a gruesome attack by assailants.
Dharwad suburban police initially treated it as a property dispute-linked murder and filed a charge sheet.
However, following demands from the victim’s family, the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2019. The agency later termed the killing as politically motivated, marking a major turning point in the case. Kulkarni was arrested by CBI officials on November 5, 2020, and a charge sheet was filed against 21 accused in total.
He was later granted bail, and the case was transferred to the Special Court for Elected Representatives, which has now delivered its long-awaited and politically sensitive verdict.