Bail for Vinay Kulkarni, Karnataka Congress leader, over BJP worker’s death

Kulkarni and the other convicts had been sentenced to life imprisonment but had asked for that order to be stayed pending settlement of an appeal challenging their conviction.

The Yogesh Goudar murder

Goudar was killed in 2016 – when the Congress was in power in the state – but the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2019 – when the BJP was in power.

The police did not then identify Kulkarni as an accused. He was arrested only after the CBI took over the case and secured bail for the first time in 2021. He was arrested again in June 2025.

The Supreme Court then stepped in, scrapping a lower court’s bail order after the CBI claimed Kulkarni had tampered with witnesses. In fact, the CBI found Kulkarni and his relative- Chandrashekhar India – who provided logistical support – to be the primary conspirators.

Kulkarni’s conviction revolved mainly around the statement of a key accused – Basavaraj Muttagi – who turned approver after the CBI took over the case. Muutagi told the court he set up a gang based on Kulkarni’s orders – called ‘Bangalore Boys’ – for a sum of Rs 20 lakh.

This gang was set up to murder of Goudar, he claimed. A second gang – ‘Dharwad Boys’ – was then set up to surrender after the murder by claiming to be the assailants.

In reaching its verdict, the court also relied on CCTV footage from the vicinity of the Uday Gym in Dharwad that Goudar operated, as well mobile phone data and location records.

Kulkarni, 56, a Congress MLA from Dharwad and 15 associates were convicted by a special court on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. He was then disqualified as an MLA.