Hubballi: A Special CBI Court remanded Monday former Karnataka Minister Vinay Kulkarni in 14 days judicial custody till November 23. Vinay Kulkarni was arrested by the CBI in connection with the murder of Yogeesh Gouda Goudar, a BJP district panchayat member. He was murdered June 15, 2016 by unidentified men in his gym.
Kulkarni was Mines and Geology Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government when the incident took place. The CBI had arrested Kulkarni after interrogating him November 5.
Meanwhile sources in the CBI alleged that it was a well-planned murder. Kulkarni had travelled to Delhi before and after the killing of Gowda in Dharwad to use it as an alibi, the CBI has alleged.
The CBI probe shows that Kulkarni had left for Delhi June 12, 2016, at 11.30 am by a flight and returned the next day at 10.40 am. Similarly, he allegedly left for Delhi June 16, 2016, evening, a day after the murder. He returned on June 18, 2016, according to the probe by the CBI.
“The tickets were booked on the same day of the journey and the purpose of the journey was to create an alibi,” the CBI has alleged.
Gowda’s murder was a result of political rivalry. Kulkarni, the then MLA and minister, had allegedly asked him not contest the Zilla Panchayat elections. However, Gowda had refused, according to the agency’s probe.
Kulkarni and Gowda had entered into verbal altercations on several occasions. A ‘serious altercation’ took place during a Zilla Panchayat meeting chaired by Kulkarni, April 22, 2016, the CBI has alleged. The agency has also alleged that the altercation triggered the conspiracy to murder Gowda.
The CBI has alleged that as part of the conspiracy, Kulkarni had intervened and assisted to broker a real-estate agreement between Basavaraj Muttagi, an accused in the case and Nagendra Todkar May 24, 2016, less than a month before the killing.
The local police had shown the deal to be a purported property dispute between Muttagi and Gowda. They termed it as motive for murder in its charge sheet. During the CBI probe, the owner of the property allegedly denied having any dispute with Gowda. He also deposed before the trial court and said the same.
The agency has alleged that the killers had come from Bangalore. They stayed at a resort owned by a close confidante of Kulkarni June 7, 2016, during first attempt to murder, the officials said.
