The high court bench in Dharwad on Thursday rejected the bail plea of former minister and Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni.
The single-bench court headed by Justice K N Nataraj which heard the arguments from both sides on Wednesday had reserved the order to be pronounced on Thursday.
Vinay Kulkarni, arrested by the CBI on November 5 in connection with the Yogeeshgouda murder case is lodged in the Hindalaga Central Prison, Belagavi.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju who argued on behalf of the CBI told the court that this is a sensational murder case and the investigating team has started interrogating the suspects.
Till date, statements of 164 persons have been documented. The CBI is probing the role of the former minister in the murder of the ZP member, he said and appealed to the court not to grant bail to the accused as the investigation was in a crucial stage.
Advocate Shashikiran Shetty who appeared on behalf of Vinay said that the former minister was not involved in this incident and his arrest was politically motivated.
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