The High Court has made serious observations against former minister Vinay Kulkarni while dismissing his bail petition in the Yogeshgouda murder case.
The court said documents produced by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) revealed that the former minister was not only involved in the commission of the cold-blooded murder but also used his clout to change the public prosecutor, influenced the police officers, witnesses and also threatened the wife of the deceased by paying Rs 20 lakh.
Kulkarni’s earlier bail petition was rejected on January 21, 2021.
Subsequently, the charge sheet was filed on January 31, 2021, and he moved a fresh petition.
Justice K Natarajan said that mere filing of the charge sheet will not be considered as a changed circumstance for granting bail.
The court observed that Kulkarni and the main accused in the murder were continuously in touch through mobile phone.
The duo exchanged hundreds of calls between them and all those calls were prior to the murder.
The court noted that after the murder, the main accused met Kulkarni in Bengaluru, before surrendering to the police the next day.
Going through the documents produced by the CBI, the court pointed out that Kulkarni had tried to settle the dispute with the brother of the deceased, but failed.
He, however, was successful in tampering with the wife of the deceased by giving Rs 20 lakh and assuring a post in Congress party.
The court said the petitioner, using his clout as district incharge minister, interfered with the investigation and paid Rs 2 lakh to the investigating officer for tampering with the witnesses and to file a false charge sheet against six accused.
Yogeshgouda, who was a BJP taluk panchayat member, was hacked to death on June 15, 2016, at his gym in Saptapur, Dharwad.
The then Congress-JD (S) coalition government refused to hand over the probe to CBI as requested by Yogeshgouda’s brother Gurunathgouda.
With the BJP assuming power, the case was handed over to the CBI. The CBI arrested Kulkarni on November 5, 2020.
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