The High Court of Karnataka on July 31 stayed the trial court’s April 15 judgment convicting former minister Vinay Kulkarni for the offences of criminal conspiracy and murder of Yageshgowda Goudar, a BJP leader in Dharwad district of Karnataka in 2016.

Also, the High Court Court suspended life sentence imposed on him and 16 other convicts while ordering their release on bail during the pendency of their appeal challenging the trial court’s judgment. 

A division bench comprising Justice Mohammad Nawaz and Justice G. Basavaraja passed the interim order on July 31 while allowing the interlocutory applications filed by Mr. Kulkarni and others. 

With the stay on the conviction of Mr. Kulkarni, now the stage is clear for revocation of the order of his disqualification from the post of MLA passed by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in May based on his conviction by the trial court. 

The bench imposed several conditions on them while granting bail, and directed them not to leave the country without prior permission from the court.

The special court of sessions for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs had convicted Mr. Kulkarni and 16 others for criminal conspiracy and murder but had acquitted him of the charge under the Arms Act, 1959, as the sanction for their prosecution under this law was not obtained.

Kulkarni, elected to the Legislative Assembly from the Dharwad constituency, was named as prime accused in the murder of Yogeshgouda Goudar, a 26-year-old BJP zilla panchayat member, in Dharwad in 2016 after the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the High Court in 2019.