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A Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru has deferred its verdict in the 2016 murder case of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda to April 15. The case also implicates sitting Dharwad Rural Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, who is listed as accused number 15 among 22 individuals.
The court, initially scheduled to pronounce the judgment, stated that the process is in its final stage.
Both prosecution and defence have submitted extensive documentation, including thousands of pages of Supreme Court rulings for reference. Kulkarni and the other accused were present during the hearing.
The incident dates back to June 15, 2016, when Yogesh Gowda, then a Zilla Panchayat member, was fatally attacked by a group of assailants at a gym in Dharwad.
Gowda had reportedly posed a political challenge to Kulkarni, escalating tensions that culminated in the murder.
At the time, Kulkarni was serving as a Cabinet minister in the government led by Siddaramaiah. Although his name surfaced early in the investigation, no immediate action was taken. The case was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the state government.
Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and granted bail in 2021. The CBI later sought cancellation of his bail, alleging witness tampering.
The court accepted the plea, leading to his surrender before he was granted bail again recently.
Currently serving as Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, Kulkarni has spent over nine months in jail during the course of the case.
The BJP had turned the case into a major political issue. Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa publicly asserted that Kulkarni would face imprisonment if the party came to power.
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