Bengaluru Court Sentences Kulkarni, 15 to Life in 2016 Murder

A Bengaluru court sentenced Congress legislator Vinay Kulkarni and 15 others to life imprisonment on Friday for their roles in the 2016 murder of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yogesh Gowda in Dharwad, Karnataka. The ruling by Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat of the Special Court for Peoples Representatives followed a conviction on Wednesday under Indian Penal Code sections for murder and criminal conspiracy.

Gowda, a member of the Dharwad Zilla Panchayat, was attacked and killed by hired assailants in his gym in Saptapur on June 15, 2016. Prosecutors argued the killing stemmed from political rivalry, with Kulkarni, then a state minister, viewing Gowda as a threat in the region. The assailants hacked Gowda to death, and one witness later testified that chilli powder was thrown into his eyes during the assault.

Local police initially investigated the case, but it was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2019 at the request of Gowda's family. The agency filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, identifying Kulkarni as the main conspirator who allegedly hired contract killers. Kulkarni was arrested on November 5, 2020. He received conditional bail from the Supreme Court...