A special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday convicted Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 15 others in the 2016 murder case of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda from Dharwad.
The judgment was delivered by special court judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat.
Yogesh Gowda, a BJP leader and former member of the Dharwad Zila Panchayat, was brutally killed at his gym in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Following the murder, a first information report (FIR) was registered at the Dharwad Suburban Police Station.
The CBI investigated the case and filed a chargesheet for offences of criminal conspiracy, murder, public servant disobeying law to shield an accused, destruction of evidence, unlawful assembly and rioting with deadly weapons, illegal possession and trafficking of arms and public servant's misconduct for undue gain.
Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI on November 5, 2020. On August 11, 2021, the Supreme Court granted him conditional bail.
However, on June 7, 2025, the Supreme Court cancelled his bail, observing that there was credible evidence of him attempting to contact or influence witnesses during the trial.
Charges were framed on May 26, 2023, against the accused.
Today, the court held that the accused, including Vikram, Keerthi Kumar, Sandeep Savadatti, Vinayak Katagi, Mahabaleshwar Hongal alias Mudaka, Santosh Savadatti, Dinesh M, S Ashwath, KS Sunil, Nazir Ahmed, Shanwaz, K Nutan, C Harshit, Vinay Kulkarni, Chandrasekhar Indi alias Chandru Mama, Vikas Kalaburgi and Channakesava Tingarikar had entered into a criminal conspiracy to murder Gowda.
Hence, it convicted them under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Acting under Section 235(2) of the CrPC, the court recorded the convictions across charges of conspiracy, murder, rioting and destruction of evidence.
Accused Nos. 2 to 16 and 18 were convicted for murder under Section 302 of the IPC.
Further, they were convicted under Section 143 (unlawful assembly), Section147 (rioting), Section148 (rioting while armed with a deadly weapon) read with Section 149 (common object liability of unlawful assembly members) of the IPC.
Accused Nos. 2 to 16, 18 and 19 were convicted under Sections 201 (destruction of evidence) read with 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
Accused No. 19 was additionally convicted under Sections 218 (public servant falsifying records to shield an accused) read with 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
Vinay Kulkarni and Chandrasekhar Indi were acquitted of charges under the Arms Act (firearms law).
Accused No. 21, Vasudev Rama Nilekani, and Somashekhar Nyamagowda were acquitted on the benefit of doubt.
Notably, the court granted liberty to the prosecution to file an application seeking sanction to prosecute approver-turned-witness Shivanand Srishaila Biradar, who turned hostile during trial.
It also directed the registry to initiate proceedings under Section 340 of the CrPC (perjury/forgery in court proceedings) against certain police and independent witnesses.
The court will announce the quantum of sentence (punishment) on April 16.