Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and Augustine George Masih, sitting as a Vacation Bench, chose not to set aside the Karnataka High Court’s ruling, which had also supported the trial court’s decision.
NEW DELHI: Today (10th June), the Supreme Court confirmed a Karnataka trial court’s decision to bring charges against Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni for the murder of Yogesh Goudar, a former BJP worker.
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Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and Augustine George Masih, sitting as a Vacation Bench, chose not to set aside the Karnataka High Court’s ruling, which had also supported the trial court’s decision.
The Supreme Court concluded that it was evident Kulkarni had manipulated Goudar’s widow. When the court showed a disinclination to hear the plea, Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave, representing Kulkarni, requested to withdraw it.
Justice Kumar expressed his frustration by remarking,
Background
Goudar, who was a Dharwad Zilla Panchayat elected member, was murdered at his gym in June 2016. Initially investigated by Karnataka Police, which resulted in six arrests, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2019 by the BJP government. Kulkarni was detained by the CBI in 2020 and was formally charged later, with the trial court framing charges in December 2023.
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On April 8, the Karnataka High Court dismissed Kulkarni’s petition challenging the framing of charges. The High Court found that Kulkarni, then a minister, along with close associates and other accused, had plotted Goudar’s murder following a dispute at a Panchayat meeting in April 2016.
The prosecution successfully argued that evidence of Kulkarni’s involvement was visible in his actions both before and after the crime, linking him to offenses punishable under the Arms Act.
The High Court also noted the lengthy delays in the trial, pointing out that the accused, including Kulkarni, had frequently approached the courts since the 2016 incident.
Following the High Court’s decision, Kulkarni sought relief from the Supreme Court, which was denied in today’s ruling. Kulkarni’s appeal was managed by S-Legal Associates.
Case Title: Vinay Rajashekarappa Kulkarni v. Central Bureau of Investigation
