Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni Disqualified After Murder Conviction

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, May 3, 2026: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has disqualified Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in the 2016 murder case of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar.

In a notification issued on Saturday, the Assembly stated that Kulkarni stood disqualified from April 15, 2026, the date on which a Bengaluru sessions court convicted him and 15 others in the case. He is currently serving a life sentence.

The disqualification was made under Article 191(1)(e) of the Constitution and Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The notification stated that the disqualification will continue for six years after his release unless the conviction is stayed by a competent court.

Kulkarni represented the Dharwad Assembly constituency. His disqualification has created another vacancy in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly.

The case relates to the murder of Yogeshgouda Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, who was hacked to death at a gym in Dharwad on June 15, 2016.

The investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2019. In its supplementary chargesheet filed in 2020, the CBI named Kulkarni as the main conspirator, alleging that he viewed Goudar as a political rival and hired contract killers.

Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in 2020 and later granted bail by the Supreme Court of India in 2021 with conditions. His bail was cancelled in June 2025 over allegations of witness tampering, though the Supreme Court granted him fresh bail on February 27, 2026, after completion of witness examination.