K’taka: HC seeks reply on ex-Congress MLA’s appeal in BJP leader murder case
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court vacation bench has taken up the appeal petition by former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni in connection with the BJP leader and Zilla Panchayat Member Yogesh Gowda and sought a reply to the appeal petition from the prosecution.
The petitioner, challenging the life-term conviction, has sought to stay the verdict of the High Court.
The matter came up before a Division Bench headed by Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum and Justice Rajesh Rai.
The Division Bench adjourned the matter to May 26.
Another accused, Chandrashekar Indi, has also filed an appeal petition.
Vinay Kulkarni was expecting bail and a stay on the conviction order.
Following the conviction, Vinay Kulkarni’s MLA position was cancelled on April 15.
As the hearing on the petition commenced, the counsel appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation submitted that objections relating to the petition had to be filed and sought additional time for the same.
Accepting the request, the bench adjourned the hearing.
In the same case, the counsel representing Police Circle Inspector Channakeshava Tingarikar, who has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, submitted that the petitioner’s appeal against the seven-year sentence had initially been listed before a single-judge bench.
However, the single-judge bench later clubbed the matter along with petitions filed by the other accused, the counsel informed the court.
The counsel further argued that only bailable offences had been invoked against his client and, therefore, he should not be required to undergo imprisonment.
He sought bail for the accused.
After hearing the arguments, the bench observed that Tingarikar’s petition could be heard separately and adjourned the matter to May 14, sources said.
It can be noted that Vinay Kulkarni is listed as accused number 15.
The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the state government.
At the time the allegations surfaced, Kulkarni was serving as a minister and district in-charge minister.
Yogesh Gowda was hacked to death by a group of assailants at a gym in Dharwad city on June 15, 2016.
He had politically challenged Kulkarni, and the incident soon took a worse turn.
Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and released on bail in 2021.
He was accused of influencing witnesses, following which the Central Bureau of Investigation sought cancellation of his bail, alleging violation of bail conditions.
The court accepted the plea and revoked his bail.