Bengaluru: In a landmark judgment, former Minister Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 15 others were yesterday sentenced to life imprisonment with Rs. 30,000 fine each by a Special Court for People’s Representatives here in connection with the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogeesh Gowda.

Earlier this week, Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat had convicted Vinay Kulkarni and others under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Channakeshava B. Tingarikar, the Investigating Officer (IO) at the time (Accused No. 19), was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for destruction of evidence, while other two accused, Vasudev Rama Nilekani and Somashekhar Nyamagowda, were acquitted on the benefit of doubt.

The Court also directed that Rs. 16 lakh from the fines imposed on the convicts be paid as compensation to the victim’s children, with the remaining amount forfeited to the State. It added that failure to pay fines the convicts would serve an additional three months imprisonment.

Case Background

Yogeesh Gowda, a Dharwad Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Member, was hacked to death at a gym in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. The assailants had allegedly thrown chilli powder on his face before attacking him.

Investigations later indicated that the murder was part of a larger conspiracy allegedly stemming from political rivalry and personal enmity, with Vinay Kulkarni, who was a Minister at the time, named as a key conspirator accused of engaging contract killers.

The probe, initially handled by the State Police, was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2019. The agency examined over 100 witnesses and filed charges under Sections including murder and criminal conspiracy.

Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and spent several months in custody before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2021. His bail was later cancelled on June 6, 2025 over concerns of alleged witness tampering. In January 2026, the High Court of Karnataka rejected his fresh bail petition.

The trial spanned several years before culminating in the conviction earlier this week, with sentencing pronounced yesterday.

The verdict is being seen as a significant legal and political development, and may have implications for Kulkarni’s status as a Legislator. He represents Dharwad Rural Assembly Constituency.