A Bengaluru court on Friday awarded life imprisonment to Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni in the sensational murder case of Yogeshgouda Goudar -- a local leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The ruling also puts Kulkarni at risk of disqualification from the Karnataka Assembly. Along with him, the court handed life terms to fifteen other people convicted in the case.
The verdict came two days after Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat of the Special Court for cases involving elected representatives pronounced Kulkarni and others guilty under multiple sections of the IPC, including charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. During the sentencing phase, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought a life sentence without remission for Kulkarni, while his legal team requested leniency, arguing his long record of public service and his responsibilities towards his family.
Murder that shocked Dharwad in 2016
The case dates back to June 15, 2016, when Goudar, a zilla panchayat member from Dharwad, was killed by hired attackers inside his gym in the Saptapur area. Kulkarni was serving as a minister in Karnataka at that time. Following intense pressure from the victim's family and political circles, the then state government handed over the probe to the CBI in 2019.
CBI claims political rivalry behind murder plot
After taking over the case, the CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Kulkarni as the "main conspirator". Investigators alleged that he considered Goudar a rising political challenger and therefore arranged contract killers to eliminate him. Kulkarni was arrested later the same year as part of the ongoing investigation.
Bail battle through High Court and Supreme Court
Kulkarni secured bail from the Supreme Court of India in August 2021, on the condition that he would stay away from Dharwad district. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail following allegations of attempts to influence witnesses. His subsequent request for bail in January 2026 was denied by the High Court, which cited judicial propriety. On February 27, the Supreme Court granted bail again noting that all witnesses had been examined by then.
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