The Supreme Court heard a petition challenging the bail of former Karnataka Minister Vinay Kulkarni, accused of involvement in the 2016 murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda. The court is reviewing the grounds for cancelling his bail.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court heard a plea that challenged the bail granted to former Karnataka Minister and Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni, who is accused of being connected to the murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda in 2016.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Kulkarni in this case, and now the agency wants the bail to be cancelled.
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During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who appeared on behalf of the CBI, informed the Supreme Court that some people were trying to tamper with the ongoing investigation.
He said,
“There were attempts to influence witnesses in the case.”
This was presented as one of the key reasons why the CBI believed that the bail granted to Vinay Kulkarni should be taken back.
Kulkarni’s legal team, however, asked the court to postpone the matter and give them some more time to respond.
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They asked for the matter to be taken up next week. After hearing both sides, the Supreme Court decided to take up the matter again soon.
Justice Sanjay Karol, who was part of the bench hearing the case, passed an important interim direction to make sure the trial was not affected during this time. He instructed the trial court not to go ahead with recording the statements of any witnesses till the Supreme Court hears the matter next.
He clearly said the “trial court should defer witness examinations until the next hearing.”
The bench then fixed the case for the next hearing on Wednesday.
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In June 15, 2016, BJP worker and Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda was shot dead by unidentified men at his gym in Dharwad, Karnataka. The murder caused major political controversy, especially as Yogesh Gowda was seen as a rising BJP leader with growing local influence.
Initially, the Karnataka Police began the investigation. However, in 2019, after the BJP came to power in the state, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI later arrested Vinay Kulkarni, a senior Congress leader and former Minister in the Karnataka government.
Case Title: THE STATE OF KARNATAKA Versus VINAY RAJASHEKHARAPPA KULKARNI, SLP(Crl) No. 7865/2025