Entry to Dharwad district: HC rejects Vinay Kulkarni's plea

The High Court on Friday rejected the petitions filed by Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni seeking permission to visit Dharwad district in view of Assembly elections. Kulkarni is an accused in Dharwad BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogeshgouda murder case.

Justice K Natarajan noted that the Supreme Court had earlier refused to modify the bail conditions pertaining to restriction on Kulkarni's visit to Dharwad district.

At the hearing on Friday, it was argued on behalf of Kulkarni that forbidding his entry into Dharwad district is seriously impeding his movements from freely pursuing his political activities. It was claimed that being an active political leader, and one of the vice presidents of KPCC and in charge of elections in Belagavi, Hubballi City and Dharwad Rural and he has to be physically present for canvassing for the election.

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Additional Solicitor General S V Raju appeared for the CBI and opposed the petition. It was submitted that on an earlier occasion, Vinay Kulkarni had sought relaxation of certain conditions. However, the Supreme Court, though relaxed one of the conditions regarding appearance before the investigating officer, had not given any liberty to approach the trial court or high court for seeking relaxation to any other bail conditions.

When it was submitted that Vinay Kulkarni had been given a ticket by the party high command to contest the elections, the bench posed a question as to how the ticket could be offered to someone who is barred from entering Dharwad district. "How has your high command allotted a ticket to him when he is not allowed to enter Dharwad. You went to the Supreme Court seeking relaxation. But, condition number 3, i.e. barring entry into Dharwad district, was not altered by the Supreme Court," the court observed.

Yogeshgouda was shot dead on June 15, 2016 in Dharwad. After the state government entrusted further investigation, the CBI re-registered the case in September 2019 and arrested eight accused, in addition to six accused arrested by the sub-urban police, Dharwad. The CBI arrested Vinay Kulkarni on November 5, 2020.