High Court suspends life sentence of former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni in murder case; grants bail

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, July 31, 2026: The Karnataka High Court on Friday suspended the life sentence awarded to former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and eight others in connection with the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogeeshgouda Goudar, and granted them conditional bail.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Mohammed Nawaz and G. Basavaraja passed the order while hearing interlocutory applications filed in criminal appeals challenging their conviction.

The court directed the release of Kulkarni and the eight co-convicts on conditional bail pending the disposal of their appeals.

In a separate appeal, the Bench also suspended the sentence imposed on suspended police officer Channakeshava B. Tingarikar and granted him bail.

In April 2026, a special court designated to hear cases involving MPs and MLAs had convicted Vinay Kulkarni and 15 others, sentencing them to life imprisonment in the murder case.

The special court found Kulkarni guilty of criminal conspiracy and murder. The case relates to the alleged contract killing of Yogeeshgouda Goudar, a BJP Zilla Panchayat member, who was murdered in Dharwad on June 15, 2016.