Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni gets life sentence in BJP leader Yogesh Gowda murder case

A BENGALURU court sentenced Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 15 others to life imprisonment on Friday in connection with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogesh Gowda's murder case.

On Wednesday, a Special Court for People’s Representatives in Bengaluru had convicted Vinay Kulkarni, along with 15 others, in the 2016 murder case of the BJP leader under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Bar and Bench reported.

As per the report, Vinay Kulkarni and Chandrasekhar Indi were acquitted of charges under the Arms Act (firearms law). Two of the accused, Vasudev Rama Nilekani, and Somashekhar Nyamagowda (Accused No.s 20 and 21) were acquitted on the benefit of doubt.

According to news agency PTI, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 16 sought imposition of a life sentence without remission for Kulkarni.

However, the MLA's advocate appealed for a minimum sentence, citing his social services, political background and responsibilities towards his children and other family members.

The punishment

Besides life imprisonment, the court also ordered all 16 accused to pay a fine of ₹30,000 each.

As per the Bar and Bench, the court further pronounced the following sentences with respect to other offences:

1. For the offence under Section 143 (unlawful assembly) of IPC, Accused No.s 2-14 and 18 are sentenced to simple imprisonment for 6 months, and a fine of ₹2,000 each.

2. For the offence under Section 147 (rioting), Accused No.s 2-14, and 18 are sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 1 year, with a fine of ₹2,000 each.

3. For the offence under Section 148 (rioting while armed with a deadly weapon), Accused No.s 2-14, and 18 have been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 1 year, with a fine of ₹2,000 each.

4. For the offence under Section 201(destruction of evidence), Accused Nos. 2 to 16, 18 and 19 were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 7 years, with a fine of ₹30,000.

5. For the offence under Section 218 (public servant falsifying records to shield an accused), Accused No. 19 was sentenced to 3 years in jail with ₹20,000 fine

Out of the fines that the convicts have been ordered to pay, an amount of ₹16 lakh is to be paid to the children of Yogesh Gowda as compensation while the remaining amounts will be forfeited to the State, the court was quoted by Bar and Bench as saying.

What's the BJP leader murder case?

The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP zilla panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at that time, PTI reported.

Hired assailants attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym at Saptapur in Dharwad.

Following demands from Goudar's family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.

The CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet in 2020, naming Kulkarni as the 'main conspirator'. It was alleged that he perceived Goudar as a growing political rival in Dharwad, and hired contract killers to eliminate him.

Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI on November 5, 2020. He got bail from the Supreme Court in August 2021 under conditions, including a ban on entering the Dharwad district.

However, in June 2025, the Supreme Court cancelled his bail, following allegations of witness tampering and attempts to influence prosecution witnesses.

Kulkarni again sought bail in January 2026, but the High Court rejected it, citing judicial propriety. However, the Supreme Court granted bail on February 27 after noting all witnesses had been examined.

Kulkarni is likely to face disqualification as an MLA.