Karnataka Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, 15 others sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016 BJP worker murder case

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The CBI took over the investigation of the case in 2019. By: Express News Service4 min readApr 18, 2026 09:49 AM IST According to the CBI, Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni was the main conspirator in the Yogish Goudar murder case and hatched the conspiracy to kill the BJP worker, who was perceived as a political threat. (File Photo) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT A Bengaluru special court on Friday sentenced Karnataka Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 15 others to life imprisonment for the 2016 murder of BJP worker Yogish Goudar in Dharwad, after they were held guilty earlier this week. The special court for criminal cases against elected representatives in Karnataka had on April 15 pronounced Kulkarni, the 56-year-old Congress MLA from Dharwad and one of the foremost young leaders of the Congress in the region, and 15 associates guilty on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. Goudar was killed at a gym he operated in Dharwad on June 15, 2016, by a gang of hired assailants. His family had allegedly received an anonymous letter a few days before the murder, warning the BJP worker of impending death. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had found that Kulkarni was the “main conspirator” in the murder. “For the offence punishable under Sec.302 (murder) r/w Sec.120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy), accused No.2 to 16 and 18 are hereby sentenced to undergo life imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs.30,000/- each and in default of payment of fine, they shall undergo imprisonment for 3 months,” the special court said in its order on Friday. Initially, Kulkarni, accused number 15, was not identified as an accused by the local police. The CBI investigation later revealed that Kulkarni and his relative, Chandrashekhar Indi alias Chandu Mama, were allegedly key conspirators. In a supplementary chargesheet, the CBI alleged that Kulkarni was the main conspirator and hatched the conspiracy to kill Goudar, who was perceived as a political threat. Chandu Mama is alleged to have provided the logistical support to execute the murder. The others convicted on the murder charge are Vikram Bellary, Kirthi Kumar, Basavaraj Kurahatti, Sandeep Saudatti, Vinayaka Katagi, Mahabaleshwar Hongal alias Muduka, Santhosh Saudatti, Dinesh M, Ashwath, Sunil, Nazeer Ahmed, Shahanawaz, Nuthan K, Harshith C, and Vikas Kalburgi. The 16 accused were also convicted “to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 7 years with a fine of Rs 30,000/- and in default to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of 3 months”, along with a 17th accused, police officer Channakeshava B Tingarikar, on the charges of a conspiracy to provide wrong information to mislead the probe. “The substantive sentences of imprisonment shall run concurrently. The accused are entitled for set-off for the period of detention which they have undergone in the above case as under rial prisoners,” the special court said. The court also said that Goudar’s children are entitled to compensation of Rs 16 lakh from the fines collected from the accused. The court also ordered the initiation of action against local police officers who misled the investigations. Kulkarni and Chandu Mama were, however, acquitted “for the offences punishable under Sec.3, 5, 8 punishable under Sec.25 and Sec.29 of Arms Act, 1959, since prosecution sanction was not obtained against them”. Two others who were among the 21 original accused in the case—Vasudeva Rama Nilekani and Somashekar Basappa Nyamagouda—were acquitted “by giving benefit of doubt”, the court said. The Yogish Goudar murder occurred in 2016, when the Congress was in power in Karnataka. The case was handed over to the CBI in 2019, when a BJP government was in charge. Kulkarni, who was arrested after the CBI took over the case, was initially released on bail in 2021. But he was arrested again on June 14, 2025, after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail on June 6, 2025, following CBI allegations of tampering with witnesses. Though the CBI, in a written submission, sought the maximum penalty of a death sentence for the MLA and his associates during the arguments for sentencing on Thursday, the agency did not press for capital punishment in arguments, the court noted. Senior counsel Shyam Sundar, who appeared for Kulkarni and Chandu Mama, argued that the case is not the “rarest of rare case even to award maximum sentence of life imprisonment without remission”. Meanwhile, senior prosecutors for the CBI, K S Hema and Shivananda Perla, sought compensation for Goudar’s family. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram