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ASG seeks harshest punishment for Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni in BJP leader murder case Bengaluru: Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, appearing for the CBI, urged the Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru on Thursday to award the harshest punishment to accused MLA Vinay Kulkarni and the other accused in the murder case of BJP leader and Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda. The Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru on Wednesday held senior Congress MLA and former minister Vinay Kulkarni guilty in the murder case of the BJP leader. The court delivered its final verdict after a prolonged trial. Vinay Kulkarni has been named as accused number 15 in the case. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board. The court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy. The court is hearing arguments over the quantum of punishment today. Presenting his arguments before the court, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Raju submitted that the accused should be given the harshest punishment, stating that they had hatched a conspiracy and carried out a cold-blooded murder. He further argued that the deceased, Yogesh Gowda, was a public figure who was killed due to political rivalry. He told the court that, initially, other individuals had surrendered before the police in connection with the case, but the truth emerged only after the CBI investigation. ASG Raju contended that the accused, being a legislator expected to uphold the law, had instead orchestrated the killing. He alleged that the accused misused the police machinery and violated constitutional principles. He also stated that Yogesh Gowda was brutally murdered after chilli powder was thrown into his eyes. He added that documents were fabricated and attempts were made to destroy evidence. According to him, the accused misused his position as an MLA and minister and manipulated the entire system. Meanwhile, the case’s approver witness, Basavaraj Muttagi, had visited the Ganesh temple located at KCD Circle in Dharwad city earlier in the day. Muttagi, who arrived at the temple under CRPF security, offered special prayers and prayed to God to give him greater strength for his fight. Speaking to the media, he said that the real struggle would begin now. He also stated that he had been haunted by a sense of guilt, as he too had been part of the conspiracy when Yogesh Gowda was murdered. A total of 21 persons were named as accused in the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Among 21 accused persons, 17 were found guilty, and two have turned approvers. In this background, the court has delivered its verdict holding 19 accused guilty. Accused number one, Basavaraj Muttagi, had turned approver and given his statement, while accused number 17, Shivanand, even after turning approver, gave a hostile statement. Hence, the Central Bureau of Investigation has filed an application to re-accuse accused number 17. The accused number two Vikram, accused number three Keerthi Kumar, accused number four Sandeep, accused number five Vinayak, accused number six Mahabaleshwar alias Mudaka, accused number seven Santosh, accused number eight Dinesh, accused number nine Ashwath, accused number ten Sunil, accused number eleven Nazeer Ahmed, accused number twelve Shanawaz, accused number thirteen Nutan, accused number fourteen Harshit, accused number fifteen Vinay Kulkarni, accused number sixteen Chandru Mama, accused number eighteen Vikas Kalaburagi, and accused number nineteen Channakeshava Tingarikar have been declared guilty. Meanwhile, the court ordered the release of accused numbers 20 and 21, Vasudev Nilekani and Somashekar. The case dates back to 2016, and the court will also decide the fate of 21 other accused in connection with the incident. The case was handed over to the CBI 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 challenged Kulkarni politically, and the incident soon took a turn for the worse. Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and released on bail in 2021. He was accused of influencing witnesses, following which the CBI sought cancellation of his bail, alleging violation of bail conditions. The court accepted the plea and revoked his bail. Subsequently, Kulkarni surrendered before the authorities and was recently released on bail again. Kulkarni was accused of conspiring in the murder of Yogesh Gowda. At the time, he was a Cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah-led government. Although his name surfaced, no action was taken against him initially. The BJP later made it a major issue, with former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa vowing at election rallies that Kulkarni would be sent to jail if the BJP came to power. The case was subsequently handed over to the CBI, and Kulkarni was arrested. He spent more than nine months in jail before securing bail from the Supreme Court.

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