Karnataka: Yogesh Goudar's Brother To Move SC Against HC Stay On Kulkarni Conviction
The family had fought a long legal battle to secure the conviction and would now challenge the High Court's decision before the apex court: Yogesh’s brother Gurunath
DHARWAD: Hours after the Karnataka High Court stayed the conviction of former minister Vinay Kulkarni in the 2016 murder of BJP leader Yogesh Goudar, the victim's brother announced that he would move the Supreme Court against the order, even as the deceased leader's widow said she would not pursue the matter further.
Yogesh’s brother Gurunath said the family had fought a long legal battle to secure the conviction and would now challenge the High Court's decision before the apex court.
"We had approached the court and got justice when he was convicted. Now they (Vinay Kulkarni and the other accused) have obtained relief from the High Court. We also can approach the Supreme Court and we will do so," he told reporters.
Gurunath said the family had not expected the conviction to be stayed. "We do not know on what basis the stay has been granted," he said.
Social activist Basavaraj Koravar, who had strongly fought for a CBI probe into the case, also indicated that the High Court's order would be studied before deciding the next legal step.
"Normally, in such cases, courts grant bail. Here, the conviction itself has been stayed. We need to study the order and understand the reasons given by the High Court. After examining it, we will approach the Supreme Court," he said.
However, Yogesh's widow, Mallamma, struck a different note, saying she would not pursue the matter further in the Supreme Court.
"My children are studying and I want to concentrate on their education. The court and the judge are final. We had bowed our heads earlier too (during Kulkarni’s conviction) and we will do it now also. I do not want to comment on the order or say whether it is a setback. I will not go to the Supreme Court," she declared.
Yogesh Goudar, a BJP leader and then Zilla Panchayat president, was murdered during a gym workout at Sapthapura on June 15, 2016.
The local police filed a chargesheet in September 2016, but the family alleged lapses in the investigation and sought a CBI inquiry, alleging Kulkarni’s involvement.
Following repeated demands, the state government led by BS Yediyurappa handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2019. The CBI registered a case on September 24, 2019.
After a detailed probe, the CBI filed a chargesheet, and the trial was held in the special court, which convicted Kulkarni and others in April and sentenced all the convicts, including Vinay Kulkarni, to life imprisonment.
The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed the April 15 judgment of the special court that had convicted former minister Vinay Kulkarni for criminal conspiracy and the murder of Yogeshgowda Goudar, a BJP leader from Dharwad district who was killed in 2016.
