The Karnataka High Court on Friday suspended the life sentence awarded to former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and eight other convicts in the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda, directing that they be released on bail pending the disposal of their criminal appeals.
The Division Bench of Justice Mohammad Nawaz and Justice G. Basavaraja also suspended the seven-year sentence imposed on suspended police officer Channakeshava B. Tingarikar (Accused No. 19) and ordered his release on bail.
During the hearing, CBI counsel Rahul Reddy submitted that when Kulkarni had earlier been granted bail, one of the conditions imposed by the Supreme Court was that he should not enter Dharwad district. The Bench observed that the restriction had been imposed during the trial and noted that all prosecution witnesses had since been examined.
On April 17, 2026, a Special CBI Court in Bengaluru convicted Kulkarni and 15 others for conspiring to murder BJP leader Yogesh Gowda, who was hacked to death at a gym in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. The trial court found the accused guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
The convicts were also found guilty of offences relating to destruction of evidence, unlawful assembly and rioting. Tingarikar was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment under Section 201 IPC for destruction of evidence. The trial court directed that all sentences would run concurrently and ordered that ₹16 lakh from the fine amount be paid as compensation to Gowda’s children. Kulkarni and co-accused Chandrasekhar Indi were, however, acquitted of charges under the Arms Act.
Kulkarni was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on November 5, 2020, and was granted conditional bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021. However, in June 2025, the apex court cancelled his bail after observing that there was prima facie material indicating attempts to influence witnesses during the trial.
Pending adjudication of the criminal appeals, the High Court has now suspended the sentences of Kulkarni, eight other life convicts and Tingarikar, paving the way for their release on bail.
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