A special court in Bengaluru has sentenced Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 16 others to life imprisonment in the 2016 BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar murder case.
The court convicted Kulkarni and others under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Channakeshava B. Tingarikar, the investigating officer at the time, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for destruction of evidence.
Two accused, Vasudev Rama Nilekani and Somashekhar Nyamagowda, were acquitted on the benefit of doubt.
Kulkarni and another accused, Chandrasekhar Indi, were acquitted of charges under the Arms Act.
The court directed that ₹16 lakh from the fines imposed on the convicts be paid as compensation to the victim's children, with the remaining amount forfeited to the State.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar alleged that Kulkarni was the victim of a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as he was garnering political significance in north Karnataka.
