Hubballi (Karnataka), Jul 31 The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed the conviction of Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni in the 2016 murder of a BJP leader, suspended the life sentence imposed on him by a Special Court, and ordered his release on bail pending disposal of his appeal.
The Dharwad Bench of the HC allowed Kulkarni's plea seeking suspension of sentence and stay of conviction, while directing him to execute a personal bond of Rs five lakh with two sureties of the like amount.
The case pertains to the murder of Dharwad BJP leader Yogesh Goudar in 2016.
The Division Bench comprising Justice Mohammed Nawaz and Justice G Basavaraju also barred him from leaving the country without prior permission and directed the MLA to appear before the HC and the trial court whenever required.
It ruled that the judgment of conviction against Kulkarni would remain stayed until the criminal appeal is decided. The detailed order is awaited.
The High Court also suspended the sentences of several other convicts in connected appeals arising out of the same case.
Kulkarni, along with 15 others, was convicted by the Special Court for MPs and MLAs in Bengaluru on April 16 this year in the murder case. The court sentenced them to life imprisonment a day later.
The case relates to the killing of BJP leader and former Dharwad Zilla Panchayat member Goudar, who was hacked to death by an armed group at a gymnasium in that city in June 2016.
Following the murder, the Dharwad Sub-Urban Police initially investigated the case before the probe was handed over to the CBI in 2019. The Special Court framed charges against Kulkarni and the other accused in December 2023 under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and murder, as well as sections of the Arms Act.
During the hearing of the appeal, Kulkarni contended that none of the prosecution witnesses examined during the trial had supported the case and argued that several key witnesses, including eyewitnesses, had turned hostile after the investigation was transferred to the CBI and the trial shifted to the Special Court in Bengaluru.
The CBI opposed the plea, maintaining that the evidence recorded during the earlier proceedings before the Dharwad court could not be relied upon, alleging that witnesses had been influenced during that stage of the trial.
Kulkarni, who was a minister when the murder took place, was arrested by the CBI in 2020 and was later granted bail before being convicted by the Special Court earlier this year.
