Bengaluru: Congress MLA and Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSB) Chairman Vinay Kulkarni was handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody after he surrendered before the Special Court for Elected Representatives, here yesterday.

The Supreme Court had cancelled bail granted to Vinay in the 2016 Yogesh Gowda Murder Case following which he had to surrender before the Special Court.

A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan had refused to grant 7  more days to Kulkarni who was on June 6 ordered to surrender before the concerned Trial Court or jail authority within a period of one week.

The Apex Court passed the order allowing CBI’s plea to cancel Kulkarni’s bail over the allegations of tampering the witnesses.

It may be recalled that BJP leader and then ZP Member Yogesh Gowda was killed at his gym on June 15, 2016 while Kulkarni was a Minister in the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress Government. It was alleged that Gowda was hacked to death to curb his political rise and the BJP’s influence in the region.

BJP, after assuming power in the State, had handed over the case to CBI following which Vinay Kulkarni was arrested by CBI sleuths on Nov. 5, 2020.

After being imprisoned for nine months, Kulkarni was released after being granted bail from the Supreme Court on Aug. 13, 2021 with a condition that he should not enter Dharwad nor try to influence the witnesses.

The CBI, which was closely monitoring witnesses, is said to have found that they were lured with money through Kulkarni’s associates and approached the Court with evidence. Following this, the SC cancelled the bail granted to Kulkarni and ordered him to surrender within a week.