BJP worker murder case: SC allows Karnataka Congress MLA Kulkarni to place additional documents
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted a day’s time to Congress’ Karnataka MLA and former Minister Vinay Kulkarni to place on record additional documents against the state government’s plea for cancellation of his bail in connection with the murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda over allegations of witness-tampering.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma turned down the request of Kulkarni’s counsel to adjourn the hearing till next week for bringing certain documents which were filed before the trial court.
After much persuasion, the Justice Karol-led Bench adjourned the hearing till Friday, and in the meantime, asked Kulkarni’s lawyer to bring on record the additional documents.
“It shall be open for the respondent (Vinay Kulkarni) to place on record any document either during the course of the day or hand over the same during the course of the hearing tomorrow,” ordered the apex court.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Justice Karol-led Bench restrained the trial court from examining any witnesses till further orders, and listed the matter for hearing on June 5.
Kulkarni, presently the Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, was accused of conspiring in the murder of BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda in 2016. He was then a cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. Though his name came up, no action was initiated against him. The BJP made it an issue, and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa vowed at election rallies that he would send Kulkarni to jail if the BJP was voted to power.
Later, the case was handed over to the CBI, and Kulkarni was arrested. He spent more than 9 months in jail and finally obtained bail from the Supreme Court.
Last year, the Karnataka High Court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete the inquiry and questioning of witnesses in the case swiftly. Kulkarni, who is deemed close to Siddaramaiah, was elected from the Dharwad Assembly seat in the 2023 state polls, despite the court banning his entry into the constituency, and his wife and daughter campaigning on his behalf.