The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by former Karnataka Minister Vinay Kulkarni of the Congress challenging the 2019 decision of the government referring a murder case involving him to the CBI.
The three-judge bench of Justices U.U. Lalit, S. Ravindra Bhat and P.S. Narasimha passed this order.
Kulkarni was accused of murdering a Zilla Panchayat President Yogeshgouda Goudar in 2016. After the killing of Yogeshgouda, his family members suspected the role of Kulkarni in the murder. Later, CBI arrested six contract killers.
The B.S. Yediyurappa government had, on September 6, 2019, ordered CBI probe within a couple of months of assuming charge. The CBI subsequently arrested Kulkarni, accusing him of masterminding the murder and trying to threaten and destroy evidence.
The top court had earlier on February 21, 2020, stayed the Karnataka High Court’s order of November 21, 2019, that suspended the probe by the Central agency into the matter.
Later on August 11 last year, the Supreme Court granted bail to Vinay Kulkarni, who was lodged in Hindalaga Central Prison, Belagavi, since November 5, 2020.