Special Court for Elected Representatives sentenced Vinay Kulkarni and others to life for murder of Yogeshgouda Goudar. Court relied on Central Bureau of Investigation probe, convicting them under IPC Sections 302 and 120B.
The Special Court for Elected Representatives sentenced Congress MLA and former Karnataka minister Vinay Kulkarni, along with 16 other accused persons, to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.
Following a conviction announced earlier in the week, Special Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat passed the quantum of punishment. The court held Kulkarni and his co-accused guilty of offences under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for murder and criminal conspiracy under Section 120B. The investigation and the filing of the charge sheet were carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Background:
The case traces back to the murder of Yogeshgouda Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, who was brutally hacked to death at his gym in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Although local police initially investigated the incident, the matter was taken over by the CBI in 2019 amid political pressure and allegations that Kulkarni at the time a district in-charge minister had allegedly orchestrated the killing to eliminate a political rival who was gaining prominence.
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On June 15, 2016, Yogeshgouda Goudar was murdered by assailants at his gym in Saptapur, Dharwad. Between 2016 and 2018, the initial investigation by local police resulted in the arrest of six individuals, and Kulkarni’s name was not included in the main chargesheet at that stage. In September 2019, after a change in the state government, the case was officially handed over to the CBI. On November 5, 2020, the CBI arrested Vinay Kulkarni and described him as the “main conspirator.”
On August 11, 2021, the Supreme Court granted Kulkarni conditional bail, including a restriction that prevented him from entering Dharwad district. On June 7, 2025, the Supreme Court cancelled his bail after evidence surfaced indicating attempts to influence or tamper with witnesses. Subsequently, on February 27, 2026, the Supreme Court granted bail again after the apex court stated that all key witnesses had been examined, and it directed that the trial be concluded quickly.
Life Sentencing and Impact
After the trial concluded, on April 15, 2026, Special Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat convicted Kulkarni and 16 others for murder and conspiracy, and the CBI took all convicts into immediate custody. Then, on April 17, 2026, the court pronounced life imprisonment for all 17 convicts, thereby closing the sentencing stage of the proceedings and triggering the legal consequences attached to such convictions.
During the sentencing proceedings, Special Public Prosecutors Shivananda Perla and S. Hemahad argued for a term of “life imprisonment without remission”, stressing that the involvement of a sitting legislator required a stringent sentence that would also serve as a strong deterrent to society.
Kulkarni’s legal team, on the other hand, requested leniency and pointed to his family responsibilities, but the court did not find sufficient grounds to reduce the punishment given the nature and seriousness of the crime.
As a direct consequence of the life sentence, Kulkarni is expected to face disqualification from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly under the Representation of the People Act, since the law bars an elected representative sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more. This disqualification is automatic in effect once the conviction and sentence are established, reflecting the legal principle that serious criminal convictions involving elected persons carry immediate political consequences.
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