A special court in Karnataka has convicted Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni and 18 others for the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda.
The court, presided over by Special Judge Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, delivered the judgment in the presence of Kulkarni and the other accused.
While 19 individuals were found guilty, the court acquitted two others. The quantum of punishment is scheduled to be pronounced on Thursday.
Kulkarni, who was serving as a minister in the state government at the time, was accused of being part of the conspiracy.
The investigation into the murder was initially carried out by local police before being transferred to the CBI in 2019.
Kulkarni was arrested in 2020 and remained in judicial custody for over nine months before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in 2021.
However, the CBI later accused Kulkarni of witness tampering, leading to the cancellation of his bail in June 2025.
Kulkarni subsequently surrendered and was again granted bail in February 2026 by the top court.
