Blow to Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni as Karnataka High Court denies bail in BJP worker murder case

On Tuesday, a single-judge bench of the Karnataka HC rejected a bail plea by pointing out that his case stands on a different footing from regular bail cases since the SC had cancelled his bail for tampering with witnesses and that he should approach the SC itself for bail again.

Kulkarni approached the Karnataka HC with a fresh bail plea by citing the changed circumstances in the trial of the Yogish Gouda murder case, including the completion of the examination of two witnesses whom he was accused of approaching by the CBI.

“In the present case, when the apex court has cancelled the bail on the ground of violation of conditions without reserving liberty, it would be against judicial propriety for any other court to reconsider and grant bail,” the Karnataka HC said Tuesday.

“The accused is required to move the apex court itself for reconsideration,” the HC said.

“The distinction between reversal of an order of bail by the superior court and cancellation of bail for violation of bail conditions is stark and must be maintained,” Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav said in a judgment that was reserved for orders on January 9.

“While ‘change in circumstances’ could be a ground for re-approaching the court seeking fresh bail where an application is rejected on merits, however the same logic cannot be extended in cases where bail granted is cancelled due to violation of conditions,” the HC said.

On April 25, 2025, a special court in Bengaluru cancelled the bail of Chandrashekar Indi alias Chandu Mama, a close associate of Vinay Kulkarni, on charges of tampering with witnesses, but rejected the CBI’s plea to cancel Kulkarni’s bail as well.

The CBI later approached the Supreme Court, and the apex court cancelled the bail of Kulkarni on June 6, 2025, forcing Kulkarni to surrender before the special court on June 14, 2025.

21 accused in Yogish Gouda murder case

As many as 21 people are accused in the Yogish Gouda murder case. Gouda was murdered at his gym in Dharwad by hired assailants on June 15, 2016. The family of Gouda had received an anonymous letter a few days before the murder, warning the BJP worker of impending death.

Initially, the local police arrested six persons in the case, but later, at the request of the victim’s family, the case was transferred by the then BJP government to the CBI, and 15 more persons, including the Congress MLA from Dharwad, Vinay Kulkarni, were found to be involved.

The CBI has alleged in a supplementary chargesheet that Vinay Kulkarni was the “main conspirator” in the murder case and that he hatched the conspiracy to kill Yogesh Gouda, who was perceived as a political threat. His close relative Chandu Mama is alleged to have provided the logistical support to execute the murder.

The counsel for Kulkarni argued in the HC that the Congress MLA was the sole accused in the case who had not been granted bail. The counsel argued that Kulkarni was neither accused of being one of the assailants nor was he at the crime scene.

“The persons, according to the prosecution, who are actually involved in the assault on the deceased, came to be granted the benefit of bail,” senior counsel C V Nagesh argued earlier.